Nigeria's telecom providers intend to establish the Telecom Infrastructure Protection Trust Fund to pay for equipment protection as the industry faces an alarming increase in infrastructure sabotage.
The sector attended a meeting co-hosted by the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) and the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), where they discussed ways for safeguarding critical ICT assets in the country.
During the conference the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) warned that major mobile operators now suffer more than 1,100 fibre-optic cuts every week.
Speaking at the conference in Lagos, Dr. Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman, NCC, represented by Edoyemi Ogoh, director of technical standards and network integrity, said the damage is crippling service reliability and undermining national security.
To curb the damage, the NCC is enforcing stricter infrastructure standards for fibre deployment and tower construction, launching nationwide awareness campaigns, and working closely with the Office of the National Security Adviser to align with broader security frameworks.
“When vandalism occurs, it’s not just operators that lose, ordinary Nigerians feel the impact when banking, healthcare, and emergency systems fail,” Maida stressed.
Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, ALTON, reiterated the worries, criticising operators for failing to implement basic security measures such as perimeter fencing or CCTV.
He denounced the booming black market for stolen telecom components, which is frequently supported by insider cooperation.
“We need tougher prosecutions so those caught face the full weight of the law,” he urged.
In the case of NITRA, Chike Onwuegbuchi, chairman, proposed establishing a Telecom Infrastructure Protection Trust Fund to pay for preventative measures.
He also stated that educating communities about the costs of vandalism is critical to maintaining connectivity and protecting critical services.
