By Progress Godfrey, Abuja
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has recorded more than 5,000 fibre-optic cable cuts across the country in the first six months of 2026, largely caused by road construction, excavation and related civil works.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ workshop on the protection of fibre-optic cables during road construction and rehabilitation activities, in Abuja yesterday, Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, said inadequate coordination among stakeholders was responsible for many of the incidents.
Maida said the recurring damage was disrupting essential digital services and increasing costs for telecommunications operators, businesses and citizens.“The scale is significant. In the first six months of this year alone, over 5,000 fibre-cut incidents were recorded from road construction, excavation and related civil works,” he said.
He explained that the impact of damaged fibre cables extended beyond telecoms operators, affecting banking, government services, education, healthcare, commerce, security and emergency communications.
