{"id":3073,"date":"2026-08-12T11:18:52","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T11:18:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=3073"},"modified":"2026-08-12T11:47:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T11:47:10","slug":"connectivity-ncc-advocates-protection-of-fibre-optics-during-construction-decries-over-5000-cuts-h1-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=3073","title":{"rendered":"Connectivity: NCC advocates protection of fibre optics during construction, decries over 5,000 cuts H1 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>*<strong><em>The Nigerian Communications Commission urges road construction companies, contractors, engineers and other stakeholders to protect fibre-optic cables during road construction, rehabilitation, and other civil works across the West African country<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect<\/p>\n<p>As part of measures to strengthen coordination and adopt preventive measures, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has tasked road construction companies, contractors, engineers and other stakeholders on protecting fibre optic cables during road construction, rehabilitation and other civil works across the country.<\/p>\n<p><em>ConsumerConnect<\/em> reports Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC\/CEO) of NCC, stated this Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at a stakeholders&#8217; workshop on the protection of fibre-optic cables, in Abuja, FCT.<\/p>\n<p>Fibre optics has been described as &#8220;a technology that uses thin strands of glass or plastic to transmit data, voice, and images as pulses of light.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"O2tESYDSK0\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=3068\">Recapitalisation: Nigerian Government directs NAICOM to suspend disputed fees, orders<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cRecapitalisation: Nigerian Government directs NAICOM to suspend disputed fees, orders\u201d \u2014 Consumer Experience Is A Top Priority\" src=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=3068&amp;embed=true#?secret=Q8y7BBPdFT#?secret=O2tESYDSK0\" data-secret=\"O2tESYDSK0\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The technology allows information to travel much faster, and over longer distances than traditional copper electrical wires in the digital ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>The NCC, at the workshop held at the National Counter- Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) emphasised that Nigeria&#8217;s effort at expanding physical infrastructure must not undermine the digital infrastructure connecting consumers to information, services, markets and opportunities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8216;Communications infrastructure is critical national lifeline&#8217;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The telecoms sector regulatory Commission also noted that communications infrastructure has become a critical national lifeline.<\/p>\n<p>According to him, it underpins banking, government services, education, healthcare, commerce, security and emergency communications.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Maida further said that damage to fibre infrastructure could disrupt essential services and impose significant costs on citizens and the wider economy.<\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Nnenna Ukoha, Director of Public Affairs at NCC, Tuesday also stated the EVC\/CEO said: &#8220;To a machine operator on a construction site, it may appear to be one buried cable.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;To the nation, it can mean failed calls, stalled payments, interrupted services and missed opportunities.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The NCC Executive Vice-Chairman highlighted the far-reaching impact of fibre cuts on individuals, businesses and public institutions.<\/p>\n<p>He said: &#8220;Our central message is simple: Nigeria must build the roads that connect our communities while protecting the fibre networks that connect our economy.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We need both forms of infrastructure, and we need them to work together.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In his presentation at the forum, Maida disclosed that over 5,000 fibre-cut incidents were recorded in the first six months of 2026 due to road construction, excavation, and related civil works.<\/p>\n<p>Besides, he recalled that in February 2024, fibre cuts, including those caused by road construction, resulted in an almost network-wide disruption for a telecoms operator.<\/p>\n<p>Maida revealed that the incident affected millions of consumers for several hours while placing additional pressure on other networks in the digital ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>According to him, the challenge was not about assigning blame.<\/p>\n<p>The Chief Executive of the Commission noted that no road contractor deliberately seeks to disconnect a community, just as telecoms operators would not intend to obstruct road construction.<\/p>\n<p>However, he stressed the need for a dependable system of early coordination among all stakeholders.<\/p>\n<p>The NCC Chief noted that the Permanent Secretaries of the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE) had inaugurated the Standing Committee on the Protection of Fibre Optic Cables to develop practical coordination mechanisms before, during, and after road works.<\/p>\n<p>Maida also disclosed that the Committee&#8217;s membership had recently been expanded to include representatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser, in recognition of the security implications of protecting telecommunications infrastructure in Nigeria.<\/p>\n<p>President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, via an Executive Order (EO) few years back, designated telecoms infrastructure as Nigeria&#8217;s Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII).<\/p>\n<p>The NCC Chief Executive equally explained that the designation requires telecoms infrastructure to be treated as national infrastructure, and protected accordingly, with appropriate legal, regulatory and remedial consequences for damage.<\/p>\n<p>Maida, therefore, urged network operators, contractors, government agencies, regulators and security agencies to play their respective roles in preventing fibre damage, stressing that coordination must become an integral part of the planning and execution of relevant projects.<\/p>\n<p>He asserted: &#8220;Nigeria must build the roads that connect our communities while protecting the fibre networks that connect our economy.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We need both forms of infrastructure, and we need them to work together.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The NCC Chief encouraged participants to use the workshop to develop practical measures that would make coordination standard practice rather than the exception.<\/p>\n<p>Ukoha said the workshop formed part of NCC and other and other stakeholders&#8217; ongoing efforts at institutionalising coordination mechanisms that would safeguard telecommunications infrastructure, minimise service disruptions and support Nigeria&#8217;s digital transformation agenda.<\/p>\n<p>The Commission emphasised the forum is expected to culminate in a framework for the protection of telecoms fibre optic infrastructure during road construction, and other excavation activities in the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>*The Nigerian Communications Commission urges road construction companies, contractors, engineers and other stakeholders to protect fibre-optic cables during road construction, rehabilitation, and other civil works&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"L-R: Rafiu Adeladan, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works; Air Vice-Marshal Effiom Ewa, Director at Directorate of Critical National Assets and Infrastructure Protection, Office of the National Security Adviser; and Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice-Chairman\/CEO of NCC, During the Stakeholders\u2019 Workshop, in Abuja, FCT        Photo: NCC","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","_customify_content_layout":"","_customify_sidebar":"","_customify_page_header_display":"default","_customify_disable_header":"","_customify_disable_header_top":"","_customify_disable_header_main":"","_customify_disable_header_bottom":"","_customify_disable_page_title":"","_customify_disable_content_vertical_padding":"","_customify_disable_footer_top":"","_customify_disable_footer_main":"","_customify_disable_footer_bottom":"","_customify_breadcrumb_display":"","_customify_header_transparent_display":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,4,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-highlights","category-markets","category-regulators"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Maida-and-Stakeholders-at-ONSA-Abuja-cc.png",672,365,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Maida-and-Stakeholders-at-ONSA-Abuja-cc-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Maida-and-Stakeholders-at-ONSA-Abuja-cc-300x163.png",300,163,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Maida-and-Stakeholders-at-ONSA-Abuja-cc.png",672,365,false],"large":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Maida-and-Stakeholders-at-ONSA-Abuja-cc.png",672,365,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Maida-and-Stakeholders-at-ONSA-Abuja-cc.png",672,365,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Maida-and-Stakeholders-at-ONSA-Abuja-cc.png",672,365,false]},"author_info":{"info":["ConsumerConnect"]},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?cat=20\" rel=\"category\">Highlights<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?cat=4\" rel=\"category\">Markets<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?cat=8\" rel=\"category\">Regulators<\/a>","tag_info":"Regulators","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3073"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3073\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3094,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3073\/revisions\/3094"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}