Nigerian telecom industry gets security boost as FG declares infrastructure as critical national asset

Joy Agwunobi

For years, the Nigerian telecom sector has been plagued by unrelenting attacks on its infrastructure, from severed fiber optic cables to vandalized base stations. These acts of sabotage have disrupted services, hampered the industry’s ability to provide quality telecommunications to millions of Nigerians, and strained operators’ resources as billions are spent on repairs and security measures, all while the culprits often go unpunished.

In a pivotal moment for the Nigerian telecom industry, the federal government has finally acknowledged telecom infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), a designation that has the potential to revolutionise the country’s digital economy.

By providing stringent legal protections to telecom assets that are crucial for maintaining nationwide connectivity, the government’s move is expected to usher in a new era of stability and reliability in Nigeria’s digital space.

Under the new designation, it is now a criminal offence to deliberately damage or sabotage critical telecom infrastructure, including telco towers, switch stations, data centres, satellite infrastructure, submarine and fibre optic cables, transmission equipment, e-government platforms, and databases, among others, as these facilities are recognised as part of the critical national information infrastructure because of the vital role they play in ensuring security and the delivery of other essential services across the nation.

This development was disclosed  by Bosun Tijani, the minister of communications, innovation, and digital economy, who expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for releasing the official gazette titled “Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure Order, 2024.”

According to Tijani, the gazette is not just a policy document but a robust measure aimed at fortifying the nation’s telecom infrastructure.

He further noted that the designation would help improve the quality of telecom services, which have often been affected by disruptions and intentional damage.

“This gazette now makes it an offence to willfully 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,” Tijani said.

By designating telecom infrastructure as CNII, Nigeria aligns itself with major economies like China, India, and the United States, where such infrastructure is recognised as critical and is protected by strict penalties for those who damage these assets.

Until recently, critical infrastructure like power plants, electricity grids, oil and gas pipelines, roads, water supply systems, and hospitals had long been given priority and classified as essential, while telecom infrastructure despite being the backbone of modern communication networks and the digital economy was overlooked and left vulnerable to frequent sabotage.

The severity of this oversight and its financial impact on the industry was highlighted in a report by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). The report revealed that the telecom industry spent approximately N14 billion on repairing around 59,000 fibre cuts between 2022 and 2023. The NCC also noted that in 2022, there were about 40 daily incidents of fibre cuts, underscoring the magnitude of the problem.

Each month, nearly 1,000 fibre optic cable cuts are reported, silently undermining Nigeria’s digital infrastructure and jeopardising the future of the nation’s telecommunications industry. As these incidents increase, they not only disrupt services but also drive up costs for telecom companies, ultimately affecting the quality of service across Nigeria.

Overtime, the impact has been  felt nationwide with millions of Nigerians experiencing frequent service disruptions, leading to dropped calls, slow internet speeds, and poor voice quality issues that have frustrated consumers and posed severe risks to businesses, especially those in sectors like banking that rely on seamless telecommunications for daily transactions and operations.

Carl Cruz, CEO of Airtel Nigeria, recently highlighted this challenge at a telecom event, revealing that Airtel alone experiences over 1,000 fibre cuts monthly.

“These incidents not only disrupt services but also increase operational costs, ultimately affecting the quality of service for millions of Nigerians,” Cruz stated.

Similarly, in 2023, MTN Nigeria reported suffering more than 6,000 cuts on its fibre cables. The operator had to relocate 2,500 kilometres of vulnerable fibre cables between 2022 and 2023, at a cost of more than N11 billion, enough to build 870 kilometres of new fibre lines in areas without coverage.

Commenting on the telecom sector’s new designation as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), expressed satisfaction with the decision. “We are pleased with this action as we have been waiting for it. The industry will benefit greatly,” Adebayo said.

The ALTON chairman acknowledged that while the move is long overdue, it is a welcome development that will help reduce incidents of unauthorised access to telecom facilities by government personnel, vandals, and overzealous tax collectors across various states.

Adebayo extended his gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the executive vice chairman of the NCC, and the media, among other stakeholders, for their roles in achieving this milestone.

Deolu Ogunbanjo, president of the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers, also commended the development, recalling the long-standing efforts to get the bill passed.

“This bill has been before the Senate for a while, and there has been a lot of lobbying before now. So, this is a good development. It will help the telcos think less of vandalisation of their facilities and concentrate on providing quality services for our members,” he added.