Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, has decried the challenges faced by telecommunications operators in Nigeria, particularly frequent fibre cuts, vandalism, and theft of equipment costing them billions of Naira.
Maida stated this against the backdrop of the recent declaration of telecom infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) by President Bola Tinubu through an Executive Order.
In a keynote address at the launch of the CNII Protection and Resilience Workshop, organised by the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (NCCC) under the Office of the National Security Adviser, Maida said Nigeria is now set to address the challenge.
He noted that the workshop series was to drive the urgent implementation of the CNII Executive Order as a major step towards securing Nigeria’s communications and digital infrastructure.
“The telecom industry faces significant challenges, including frequent fibre cuts, vandalism, and theft, which cost operators billions of Naira in revenue and billions of Naira in repair expenses.
“Additionally, restricted access to telecom facilities by property owners and government entities hampers network expansion efforts, limiting connectivity and impacting service quality,” Maida stated.