Nigeria’s ambition to build a resilient digital economy is increasingly under threat as telecom infrastructure continues to suffer frequent vandalism, fibre cuts, and regulatory bottlenecks across the country, raising fresh concerns among industry experts and policy analysts.
Despite repeated warnings from operators and regulators, telecom assets remain poorly protected in many parts of Nigeria, leading to widespread service disruptions that affect banking, e-commerce, aviation, security operations, and government services. Industry data indicates that thousands of fibre cuts are recorded annually, many linked to road construction activities, theft, and illegal excavations.
While the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has consistently highlighted the problem, experts argue that advocacy without enforceable nationwide protection measures is no longer sufficient.
Economic Costs Are Mounting
Celestine Ukpong, an economist, said the continued exposure of telecom infrastructure poses a direct threat to economic productivity and investor confidence.
“Telecommunications is now a core economic utility, not a luxury service,” Ukpong noted. “Every major service outage has a cascading effect on financial transactions, digital payments, logistics, and small businesses. When networks fail, economic activity slows, and that cost is quietly transferred to consumers and investors.”
According to him, the absence of strong enforcement of telecom assets as Critical National Infrastructure increases operational risks for service providers and discourages long-term capital investment, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
Ukpong warned that without stronger coordination between the NCC, security agencies, and subnational governments, Nigeria risks undermining its own digital transformation agenda.
Rising Financial Pressure on Operators
Peter Adebayo, FCA, said the financial implications of repeated infrastructure damage are becoming unsustainable for telecom operators already grappling with foreign exchange volatility, rising energy costs, and multiple taxation.
“From a financial perspective, infrastructure vandalism directly increases operating expenses through repairs, downtime, and insurance costs,” Adebayo explained. “These are costs that operators cannot absorb indefinitely. Eventually, they either slow investment or push for tariff adjustments.”
He added that inconsistent Right-of-Way policies and levies imposed by some state and local authorities further weaken the sector’s cost structure and reduce incentives for network expansion.
Regulatory Pressure Mounts on NCC
The experts agree that the NCC faces growing pressure to move beyond policy engagement and ensure practical enforcement of telecom protection measures nationwide. Stakeholders have long called for unified Right-of-Way regulations, improved security response for damaged infrastructure, and stronger prosecution of vandals.
Industry analysts also argue that publicly tracking and disclosing infrastructure damage data could improve accountability and policy coordination across government agencies.
Without decisive action, quality-of-service improvements may remain limited, even as Nigeria expands broadband access and rolls out advanced technologies such as 5G.
Consumers Bear the Impact
Subscribers continue to suffer the consequences of frequent network outages, slow internet speeds, and unreliable services. Experts warn that as operational pressures mount, consumers could face higher service costs if regulatory and infrastructure challenges remain unresolved.
“The risk is that inefficiencies in the system are eventually passed down to end-users,” Ukpong said. “Protecting infrastructure is ultimately about protecting consumers and economic growth.”
A National Imperative
Analysts stress that safeguarding telecom infrastructure should be treated as a national priority rather than an industry demand. In countries with mature digital economies, telecom networks are protected alongside power grids, transport systems, and energy pipelines.
For Nigeria, the experts argue, effective protection of telecom assets is essential to sustaining economic growth, financial inclusion, and global competitiveness
Nigeria’s telecom infrastructure faces rising vandalism and fibre cuts, threatening digital growth. Experts Celestine Ukpong and Peter Adebayo warn of economic and financial risks as pressure mounts on NCC.
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