Telecom
COVID-19: NITDA Advises Nigerians on Data Backup As Impact Mitigation Strategy

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has advised Nigerians on Data Backup as the World Celebrates International Data Backup Day
Mrs Hadiza Umar, head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) stated this in a statement released on Tuesday, in Abuja.
According to the statement, “with the mandate of developing and regulating Information Technology (IT) for sustainable national development, we join the global community in celebrating World Backup Day.
“March 31st has been set aside as World Backup Day internationally, to remind users of computing devices of the potential consequences of stolen, lost or failed device.
“It is also a day used for creating awareness on the importance of protecting computing assets by regularly backing-up data.
“Making a regular backup is one way to minimize the damage that can be caused by malware that encrypts your data.
“Having a clean data backup means you can restore most of your data from a non-infected backup whenever the need arises.
“NITDA therefore encourages organizations and the general public to make and safely store backup copies of all valuable data, whether from personal computers, servers, storage devices or personal electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets”.
The statement further said, “as we intensify our efforts of diversifying the Nigerian economy from resource-based to knowledge-based, it is imperative that we are mindful of the amount of data generated on a daily basis as well as its implication in the digital economy.
“A World Economic Forum study revealed that on a daily basis, 500 million tweets are sent, 294 billion emails are sent, 4 petabytes of data are created on Facebook, 65 billion messages are sent on WhatsApp, and about 3.5 billion searches are made on Google.
“Furthermore, the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for people to work from home means that more data will be generated and may not necessarily be backed-up appropriately.
“Therefore, as we strive towards the realization of Digital Nigeria in these challenging times, the importance of creating a culture of regular data backup among Nigerians cannot be overemphasized.
“Data backup is keeping a clean copy of any important digital content aimed at guaranteeing service availability even when computer crashes, cell phones or tablets are lost, data becomes corrupted or a virus destroys data.Data backup is a mission-critical process that NITDA enjoins all to adopt, either as individuals or organizations.
“As we celebrate the World BackupDay, we call on all Nigerians to embrace the culture of regularly backing-up their data.
The following basic guides are recommended:
- ensure that you backup your data frequently and at regular intervals;
- consider using remote storage for your backups;
- ensure that the files containing your data backups are encrypted and protected; and
- use multiple methods and multiple media for your data backups.
Telecom
ATU, AFRINIC Urge Governments, Regulators to Develop Internet Resilience Framework

As Africa continues to face internet disruptions, telecom leaders have urged governments and regulators to embrace and implement a Model Framework for Building Regional Internet Resilience.
The African Telecommunications Union (ATU), Internet Society, and African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC) have all endorsed the framework.
The framework organises Africa’s internet resilience challenge around three interdependent focus areas: networks and internet service providers (ISPs), critical infrastructure such as power grids and cables, and market conditions that influence affordability and demand, according to the organisations in a joint statement.
Once implemented, entities or operators responsible for an important part of a country’s internet ecosystem, such as electricity utilities, mobile network operators, ISPs, internet exchange points, or a country-code top-level domain registry, must develop a resilience plan within one year of the framework’s official adoption.
The statement also mentions several past disruptions that hampered communication, such as the West Africa Cable System failure in March 2024, which cut off 13 countries for days.
They went on to explain that the plan must be evaluated and updated on an annual basis and be compatible with the entity or operator’s continuity and reconstitution plans.
It (framework) should also specify how the organisation intends to incorporate the resilience features of redundancy, resourcefulness, rapid recovery—all of which are critical components of achieving overall robustness—into its operations.
ATU has warned that every blackout is a flashing red warning, and that the framework would act as an insurance policy against outages.
“Connectivity remains Africa’s nervous system and when it stutters, schools, hospitals and markets stutter too. This framework is our insurance policy against digital darkness”, said John Omo, secretary general of ATU.
Arthur Carindal, AFRINIC’s head of stakeholder engagement, commended the institutions for their coordinated efforts.
He said: “It is a great honour for AFRINIC to collaborate with ATU and ISOC in transformative initiative enabling all stakeholders to participate in developing Africa’s internet resilience model framework, which highlights key policy recommendations and best practices for strengthening internet infrastructure in Africa.”
Telecom
NCC Rallies Stakeholder Support to Protect Telecom Infrastructure

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reiterated its commitment to the full operationalisation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Executive Order on Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), which designates telecommunications facilities as critical national assets deserving optimal protection.
This comes on the heels of a successful mediation led by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), in collaboration with the Commission, which resulted in the suspension of a planned strike by the Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA).
The strike, if carried out, would have disrupted the supply of diesel to telecommunications sites nationwide, severely affecting network operators’ ability to power their diesel-driven generators and maintain uninterrupted connectivity.
In the days leading up to the resolution, the ONSA, under the leadership of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, held strategic engagements with NOGASA’s leadership, with the Commission providing technical and regulatory guidance to highlight the potential implications of service disruptions on national security, the economy, and everyday life.
The discussions culminated in an agreement to call off the industrial action, averting what could have been a nationwide disruption of telecom services.
“Telecommunications infrastructure is the backbone of our connectivity and digital economy. Any disruption, whether through vandalism, accidental damage during construction work, theft of equipment, denial of access to maintenance teams, or interruptions in the supply of essential operational materials, has far-reaching implications for service delivery, economic stability, and national security,” the NSA said.
The Commission expressed appreciation to the ONSA for its leadership and dedication to protecting national assets and commended the maturity and understanding demonstrated by relevant stakeholders in recognising the national importance of telecommunications services.
Commenting on the development, the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Dr. Aminu Maida, stated: “We will continue to enforce strict compliance by our licensees with technical standards for the deployment and maintenance of telecommunications infrastructure, while working closely with relevant stakeholders to strengthen awareness and cooperation on their protection.
“We also recognise mediation as an effective tool for building consensus among stakeholders. This resolution underscores the importance of dialogue in preventing avoidable service disruptions. Ultimately, we call on all Nigerians to regard telecom infrastructure as a shared national asset, one that underpins our ability to connect with loved ones, transact businesses, access healthcare, pursue education, and participate in the global digital economy.”
The Commission reaffirmed that it would continue to coordinate with security agencies, industry stakeholders, and the public to ensure that Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure remains protected, resilient, and reliable for all.
Telecom
Nigeria’s Internet Subscriptions Dip Slightly in June, But Data Demand Hits New High

Active internet subscriptions across mobile, fixed, and VOIP networks in Nigeria dropped to 141.1 million in June, representing a 0.3% decline from the 141.5 million recorded in May, according to the latest statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Mobile network operators MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile maintained their dominance with a combined 140.6 million subscriptions, leaving Internet Service Providers and others with 528,633 subscriptions at the end of June.
Despite the slight drop in subscriptions, data consumption continued to grow. Nigerians used 1.044 million terabytes of data in June, marginally higher than the 1.043 million terabytes recorded in May, which had been the highest monthly usage since January 2023.
Telecom operators say this surge in data usage is driven by the rapid growth of Nigerian cities, especially Lagos, where more people, businesses, and devices are fueling record bandwidth consumption. In response, operators are expanding capacity to meet the rising demand.
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