The fibre optic cables crisscrossing beneath the earth serve as the backbone of national security, data transfer, and communication in the digital age.
As a matter of fact, Nigeria’s connectivity and expanding digital economy depend heavily on these cables, which run the whole length and width of the nation.
The Looming Threat
However, recent events have highlighted a significant threat to this infrastructure, as fibre optic cables are fragile and can easily be damaged by construction activities, roadworks, or even natural wear and tear.
In Nigeria, the problem has been exacerbated by vandalism purposefully carried out by hoodlums. This damage has serious consequences. Not only does it disrupt communication and internet services, but it also incurs significant costs in repairs and lost revenue.
For instance, document released by Bloomberg showed that the telecom industry in Nigeria is anticipated to have lost income and paid repairs for broken cables totalling almost N27 billion ($23 million) in 2023.
The majority of the expenses were borne by MTN Nigeria, the largest cellular provider in the most populous country in Africa, and Airtel Africa Plc, according to the document.
Explaining further, the document said MTN experienced over 6,000 cuts on their fibre line in the previous year. On February 28, consumers experienced more than five hours of voice and data interruptions due to three separate network failures caused by a road construction company, an oil service company, and someone burning trash in a manhole.
Over the course of 2022 and 2023, the operator relocated 2,500 kilometres (1,553 miles) of vulnerable fibre cables, spending over N11 billion—enough to construct 870 kilometres of new fibre lines in places lacking coverage.
The chief executive officer of Airtel Nigeria, Carl Cruz, while speaking during an industry forum, said the telecom company has been recording an average of 1,000 cases of fibre cuts every month.
Over the years, stakeholders in the Nigerian ICT sector have been calling on the government to designate telecom infrastructure as a critical national asset to address the persistent attacks on the infrastructure across the country.
In March this year, the chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, Gbenga Adebayo, reiterated the call as Nigeria suffered an internet outage due to damage to some fibre optic cables.
FG’s Recent Move
President Bola Tinubu recently responded to their cries by issuing an official gazette that designated telecom infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) and made it illegal for anyone who purposefully destroy such infrastructure within the nation.
According to the minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, the gazette, ‘Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure Order, 2024’, is a significant step that would strengthen and protect investments in the ICT sector by reducing incidences capable of damaging the operations and functionality of the country’s technological systems, infrastructure, and networks.
Tijani expressed gratitude to the President for issuing the official gazette, stating that the administration places a high premium on the security and protection of the Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII).
The minister went on to say that declaring telecom infrastructure as CNII and will contribute to raising the standard of services, which are frequently harmed by deliberate damage and disruption.
“This gazette now makes it an offence to wilfully damage assets such as telco towers/sites, switch stations, data centres, satellite infrastructure, submarine & fibre optic cables, transmission equipment, e-government platforms, databases among many others,” he said.
According to Tijani, the government will keep pushing to develop laws and policies that would foster the growth of the digital sector.
Stakeholders React
Meanwhile, critical stakeholders have applauded the move by the federal government, describing it as long overdue.
For instance, the president of the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers, Adeolu Ogunbanjo, said the CNII bill has been before the Senate for a while, and there has been a lot of lobbying before now; signing it into law is a great move by the federal government, as it will not only help to ensure that quality services are available at all time, but also help operators save money for expansion.
Ogunbanjo added that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) deserved commendation too for never giving up on the matter, saying the Commission appointed one of its officials to liaise with the National Assembly on the subject matter.
“The matter had suffered needless delays. I must commend Mr President for taking the bull by the horn. It will provide an opportunity for our members to enjoy good service quality. We are happy about it and we salute the courage of Mr President. However, i appeal to the President to ensure full implementation of the bill” he said.
ALTON chairman also lauded president Bola Tinubu for acceding to the demand to designate telecom infrastructure as critical national infrastructure to insulate it from willful vandalism.
He expressed delight that Mr President has finally approved their demand which has for long being pending before the National Assembly, while thanking the executive vice chairman, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida and the national security adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for their roles in ensuring that the document was gazetted by the federal government.
“We are delighted about the development. I think it will usher in a new lease of life to the industry. We are pleased about the news because it will solve part of the many problems besetting the industry. At least, people will know that if they wilfully vandalise telecom infrastructure, there will be consequences for their action. We are therefore grateful to Mr President.
“However, i appeal to the government to ensure proper implementation of the document, as Nigeria has several orders from the government on different issues in different sectors of the economy, but the implementation has been very poor.
“If the CNII document is well implemented, the issue of vandalising telecoms infrastructure will stop and the situation where government agencies close down telecoms sites arbitrarily will also stop and the telecoms industry will be a better place, for all, ” Adebayo appealed.
Mr. President’s move was also praised by the president of the Association of Telephones, Cable TV and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria (ATCIS-Nigeria). Shina Bilesanmi.
He claims that the President’s gesture demonstrates his ability to lead by listening, adding that “We are overjoyed. We applaud the president and hope that this will result in higher-quality communication service across the country. The main issue that MNOs deal with is communications infrastructure vandalism. According to one of their CEOs, there are 1000 cable cuts on average every month. This move by our president will help to Avert the trend.”
