Road Construction Linked To Over 5,000 Fibre Cuts In Six Months — NCC

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has disclosed that more than 5,000 fibre-optic cable cuts were recorded across Nigeria in the first six months of 2026, with road construction, excavation and other civil works identified as major causes.

The Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, disclosed this on Tuesday at a stakeholders’ workshop on the protection of fibre-optic cables during road construction and rehabilitation activities.

Maida said the repeated damage to fibre infrastructure posed a significant threat to digital services and imposed additional costs on telecommunications operators, businesses and citizens.

He attributed many of the incidents to inadequate coordination among government agencies, road contractors and telecommunications operators before construction activities commenced.

According to him, damage to fibre cables goes beyond disrupting telecommunications services, as it can affect banking, healthcare, education, government operations, commerce, security and emergency communications.

“The scale is significant. In the first six months of this year alone, over 5,000 fibre-cut incidents were recorded from road construction, excavation and related civil works,” Maida said.

He recalled that fibre cuts in February 2024, some of which were linked to road construction, caused an almost nationwide disruption to one telecommunications operator, leaving millions of subscribers unable to make calls, send messages or access the internet for several hours.

Maida stressed that the solution was not to blame road contractors or telecommunications companies but to establish a reliable system of coordination before and during construction projects.

He said the Permanent Secretaries of the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy had inaugurated a Standing Committee on the Protection of Fibre Optic Cables to develop mechanisms for better coordination before, during and after road works.

The committee, he added, had also been expanded to include officials from the Office of the National Security Adviser for additional strategic oversight.

The NCC chief said telecommunications infrastructure had been designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure, making it necessary for construction companies, engineers, contractors and site supervisors to understand their responsibilities when working around fibre-optic cables.

He clarified that the designation was intended to promote proper planning, accountability and due care rather than criminalise legitimate construction activities.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Engr. Nadungu Gagare, represented by the Director of Telecoms and Postal Services, Stanley Musa, described the protection of fibre infrastructure as a shared national responsibility.

Gagare warned that recurring fibre cuts could undermine the country’s efforts to expand broadband infrastructure by disrupting essential services, increasing operational costs and potentially discouraging investment in the digital sector.

He said the ministry was working with relevant stakeholders to strengthen compliance with right-of-way regulations and improve coordination around telecommunications infrastructure.

The Permanent Secretary also disclosed that the National Economic Council had approved a memorandum on the harmonisation of right-of-way charges, while the ministry was developing standards and guidelines for shared infrastructure, including the proposed “dig once” approach.

In his remarks, the Director of Critical National Assets and Infrastructure Protection at the Office of the National Security Adviser, Air Vice Marshal Effiom Enebong Ewa, said damage to fibre infrastructure could have consequences beyond telecommunications disruptions.

He noted that fibre-optic cables support governance, economic activities and essential public services, warning that negligence or interference that exposes such infrastructure to damage could constitute an offence under Nigerian law.

Ewa urged contractors, government agencies, telecommunications operators and other stakeholders to comply with established protocols when carrying out construction and maintenance activities.

Nigeria’s expanding broadband network increasingly depends on fibre-optic cables, many of which are buried along major road corridors. However, frequent road construction, excavation and other civil works have continued to expose the infrastructure to damage.

The NCC said it would continue working with government agencies, contractors and telecommunications operators to improve coordination and reduce fibre cuts during road construction and rehabilitation projects.