Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is considering imposing sanction on any road contractor that destroys telecommunications metro fibre across the country.
Idris Olorunnimbe, chairman, Board of Commissioners, NCC, stated this at congratulatory visit to the Chairman by members of Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) in Lagos yesterday.
According to him, “I think what we need to do to address the damage of metro fibre by government contractors is simply. He who cuts It must fix it, and we’ll take this message to our state governments.
If any contractor knows that if they damage that critical national infrastructure, their work is going to stop and they are going to be the ones to fix it, they will not destroy it.
Responding, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), said up until now, there are no consequences for those infractions, and if there are no consequences, the tendency to continue to do bad is very high.
“Contractors of government carrying out roadworks, whether road maintenance or road expansion, and their machines destroy communications super highway at will, if there are consequences, or if there were consequences some of those actions will not have escalated to the level that we are in.
“What the chairman has said today is very important, if you destroy it you fix it. What we are expecting now is that the consequence of managing those problems will be a lot more, and there will be legal deterrent for people from destroying operators’ fibre. I must emphasize the communication super highway. That’s the highway by which all the signals are carried.
“When this highway is broken, it’s like you have a major bridge that’s broken. You can’t reach east, neither can you reach west. And until we take it as the major super communications highway and so protective, we will continue to be where we are.
“That’s actually what it is. When this highway is broken, we are all affected. So, it’s no longer an infrastructure that is for operators, but it belongs to all of us. If I don’t have service on my phone, some of these are the consequence of this violation that we are seeing.
Earlier in his welcome address, Engr. Adebayo highlighted some of the key challenges in the sector which includes: Daily fibre cuts — often caused by federal and state road construction contractors — are creating enormous economic losses.
- Nationwide service disruptions
- Destruction of critical digital infrastructure
- Loss of assets without compensation
- Banking, education, and security interruptions
There is currently insufficient institutional recourse for operators when these damages occur. A structured pre-construction fibre mapping and mandatory coordination framework is urgently required.
Key Regulatory Priorities for Sector Stability
1. Independence of the Regulator
He said regulatory independence ensures:
- Credible oversight
- Investor confidence
- Transparent decision-making
- Long-term sector stability
Independence must not only exist in law — it must be visible in practice.
“We recommend: Legislative reinforcement explicitly affirming NCC independence
- Clear codification of interaction boundaries between the regulator and supervising authorities
- Operational safeguards insulating regulatory processes from undue influence
Multiple Regulation
Overlapping regulatory interventions by various MDAs on matters already within NCC jurisdiction create:
- Duplicative investigations
- Conflicting directives
- Increased compliance costs
- Regulatory uncertainty
“We recommend structured inter-agency coordination frameworks and legislative clarification reaffirming NCC’s exclusive jurisdiction over telecommunications matters.
Multiple Taxation
Adebayo stated that operators continue to face excessive sub-national taxes and levies.
Enforcement tactics such as site shutdowns directly affect Quality of Service and national connectivity.
A harmonized national telecom taxation framework is essential for broadband expansion and digital inclusion.
