Nigeria has reportedly recorded 5,934 (five thousand, nine hundred and thirty-four) fibre-optic cable cuts in the first six months of 2026.
Operators in the telecommunications sector also reportedly spent about N2.2 billion on direct repairs of the damaged cables.
Statistics also reportedly revealed that an average of about 65 incidents was recorded daily, as repeated damage to telecommunications infrastructure raises concerns over networks supporting banking, emergency communications, government services, security operations and businesses.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has described communications infrastructure as a critical national lifeline supporting banking, government services, education, healthcare, commerce, security and emergency communications.
The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has also linked the protection of telecommunications infrastructure to national security.
This was disclosed over the weekend at a workshop on the protection of fibre-optic cables during road construction in Abuja.
The Director of Critical National Security and Infrastructure Protection at ONSA, Effiom Ewa, said damage to fibre infrastructure affects more than telecommunications services.
Ewa said, “Every fibre-optic cable damage is more than a disruption to a network.”
He also stated that it affects “governance, economic productivity, public services, and the daily lives of Nigerians.”
The Federal Government’s Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) framework already covers telecommunications networks, base stations, fibre-optic cables, data centres, towers, internet exchange points and other ICT facilities whose disruption could seriously affect everyday life.
The NCC said the designation reflects the role of these systems in national security, the economy and public well-being.
The repeated fibre damage has also imposed direct costs on the telecommunications industry.
Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, said operators spent N2.2 billion on direct repairs resulting from fibre cuts in the first half of 2026.
The figure, according to him, excludes revenue lost during outages and capital diverted from network expansion to emergency repairs.
NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Aminu Maida, said the effect of a damaged fibre cable extends beyond the affected operator.
“To a machine operator on a construction site, it may appear to be one buried cable. To the nation, it can mean failed calls, stalled payments, interrupted services and missed opportunities,” Maida said.
The financial system is among the areas affected by telecommunications disruptions.
Central Bank of Nigeria data showed that electronic payment transactions through six major channels were valued at N1.053 quadrillion in the first quarter of 2026, up 2.85 per cent from N1.024 quadrillion recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
The channels covered cheque, ATM, POS, web payments, mobile payments and Nigeria Instant Payment.
The operation of several of these channels requires communications connectivity between customers, merchants, banks, payment processors and other financial institutions.
A fibre or network disruption can affect POS terminals, mobile banking applications, online payments and other digital services, even when the underlying banking systems remain operational.
Emergency response also depends on telecommunications infrastructure.
The NCC’s Emergency Communications Centres are designed to connect people in distress with response agencies through the toll-free 112 number.
Calls are routed to agencies including the Police, Fire Service, Federal Road Safety Corps and ambulance services.
In April 2026, the National Economic Council approved 112 as Nigeria’s national emergency number across relevant agencies as part of measures to establish a unified emergency-response system.
The NCC currently says 31 Emergency Communications Centres are operational across the six geopolitical zones, with efforts continuing to activate the remaining five centres.
The emergency system depends on the same communications infrastructure that carries ordinary calls and data.
A network disruption can, therefore, affect the ability of citizens to contact emergency responders and the ability of response agencies to communicate.
The NCC has identified security among the critical functions supported by communications infrastructure, while the involvement of the ONSA in fibre-protection efforts places telecommunications infrastructure within the wider national security and critical-infrastructure framework.
