Rising incidents of fibre cuts, equipment thefts, and vandalisation of telecom infrastructure across Nigeria have created uncertainty and doubt around the government’s policy on Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII).
According to telecom operators, seven months after the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, released the official gazette for the CNII, as signed by President Bola Tinubu, attacks on telecom infrastructure have continued without checks.
They attributed this to a lack of direction on the enforcement of the policy and the government’s failure to designate a specific security agency for the enforcement.
Highlighting the severity of the attacks on telecom infrastructure, Senior Manager at Broadbased Communications, Jude Ighomena, revealed that telecom operators lost an estimated N5 billion in 2024 due to infrastructure damage in Lagos State alone.
According to him, over 2,500 fibre cuts were recorded in the state last year, causing widespread service disruptions and financial losses.
He noted that Lagos’ busiest commercial districts—Ikeja, Lekki, and Victoria Island—are the most affected, with road construction and private developments frequently damaging underground fibre cables.
Meanwhile, Alimosho and the Mainland areas are said to have become hotspots for fibre cable theft and vandalism.
“These recurring incidents stem from poor planning, lack of coordination, and overlapping regulatory mandates.
“With no centralised framework, government agencies, construction firms, and telecom operators work independently, leading to repeated damages without accountability,” he said.
