28 February 2025

An inter-ministerial committee has been set up to address the recurring problem of cuts and damage to fibre optic cables during road construction and rehabilitation works.

“Fibre optic networks are the backbone of Nigeria’s broadband ecosystem, providing the critical capacity to deliver ultra-fast 4G and 5G speeds. These next-generation mobile technologies rely on fibre optic infrastructure to ensure low latency, high reliability and seamless data transmission,” said Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

The committee was set up by the Federal Ministry of Public Works and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy. It is therefore composed of members from these two departments as well as the NCC. It will serve as a coordinating body for all matters related to the protection of fibre optic cables before, during and after the implementation of road projects. It will meet regularly to identify problems, agree on sector-wide solutions, establish intervention procedures and standards, and share monthly performance reports.

The move follows an order signed in August 2024 by President Bola Tinubu to criminalise any wilful damage to telecom infrastructure, including fibre optics. Mr Maida revealed that over 50,000 incidents of fibre optic cuts were recorded in 2024, of which about 30,000 were linked to road construction activities carried out by federal and state authorities. The regulator had previously recorded over 50,000 significant damages to telecoms infrastructure between 2019 and 2023. In 2022 and 2023, 59,000 incidents of fibre optic cuts were reported.

The government's efforts come as the executive plans to deploy more than 90,000km of fibre optic cables to ensure complete coverage of the country. Expected to be completed within the next three years, the project is expected to cost at least $2 billion.