The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reaffirmed its leadership role in protecting the country’s telecommunications infrastructure, recently designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) under a June 2024 Presidential Order.
Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, stated this in Abuja on Friday at the 2nd Strategic Stakeholders Meeting of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON). His keynote address, themed “Building Resilience in Nigeria’s Digital Infrastructure: The Executive Order and Beyond”, was delivered on his behalf by Mrs. Chioma Ibe, Assistant Director, Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Department of the Commission.
Maida described telecommunications as the backbone of Nigeria’s digital economy, supporting vital sectors such as finance, security, healthcare, energy, education, and governance. With 171 million mobile subscribers, a teledensity of 79.22% as of June 2025, and contributing 14.4% to GDP in Q4 2024, the sector, he said, is indispensable to national development. However, he warned that the sector faced persistent threats, including cyberattacks, vandalism, fibre cuts, and theft of critical equipment. Service providers, he noted, record between 30 and 43 fibre cuts daily, with severe implications for service reliability, economic stability, and national security.
He emphasised that the Presidential Order represented a clarion call to protect vital telecom assets, warning that without a resilient CNII, Nigeria’s aspirations for a connected and prosperous nation would be at risk. According to him, the NCC has initiated a nationwide mapping of critical telecom assets, including fibre networks, towers, and data centres, to prioritise protection and investment. The Commission is also developing a Critical National Information Infrastructure Protection Plan in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser to prevent vandalism, cyberattacks, and sabotage.
Maida further noted that nationwide awareness campaigns are being rolled out to sensitise communities and stakeholders on the shared responsibility of safeguarding telecom infrastructure. The NCC, he said, is working closely with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, and the Federal Ministry of Works to ensure the protection of fibre cables during road construction projects. At the sub-national level, the Commission is engaging state governments to harmonise policies, address excessive taxation, and tackle vandalism. He cited recent interventions in Osun and Kogi States, where stalled infrastructure projects resumed after NCC-led mediation.
The EVC stressed that while collaboration remains the Commission’s preferred approach, enforcement measures will be applied as a last resort in partnership with security and judicial institutions. He also underscored the importance of strong partnerships with lawmakers, law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, state governments, and private sector operators, adding that ATCON’s role as a unifying voice in the industry is vital to the initiative’s success.
“The security and resilience of our national infrastructure is non-negotiable. Let us commit to invest, collaborate, and protect. Together, we can build a digital future that is resilient, inclusive, and unstoppable,” Maida concluded.
