Author: The Nation

Nigeria’s march toward a digital economy is being undermined by fragile infrastructure and frequent network disruptions, with real consequences for everyday life. From rural traders and roadside diners to banks, schools, and hospitals, connectivity failures ripple across commerce, education, and healthcare. With an average 1,100 fibre cuts, 545 access denials and 99 thefts of telecom equipment weekly, the promise of e-learning, telemedicine, digital jobs and GDP growth increasingly looks fragile, reports Assistant Editor LUCAS AJANAKU.

Regina Elehinafe is a rural, small-scale trader whose livelihood depends on the steady circulation of everyday food items—yam tubers, garri, and locally processed rice known in the southwest as ofada, prized for its distinctive aroma. For years, her business ran on cash, guided by familiarity and trust across market towns in Ekiti State. That routine was abruptly disrupted by the chaotic implementation of the cashless policy ahead of the 2023 presidential election, an episode that forced many informal traders like Regina into an unplanned digital transition.

Reluctantly at first, she embraced mobile banking, aided by the rapid spread of fintech platforms that allow phone numbers to function as bank account identifiers. Today, Regina, a mother of two based in Ilawe-Ekiti, moves from one market town to another, timing her journeys to coincide with local market days. Digital transfers have become central to her trade, replacing the cash that once changed hands without incident.

In May this year, she travelled to Erinjiyan-Ekiti on one of her regular supply trips to purchase ofada rice and other foodstuffs. The transactions went smoothly until it was time to pay her supplier. Multiple attempts to complete the transfer via a Point of Sale (PoS) terminal failed. Each declined notification deepened the anxiety. With goods packed and no cash alternative, Regina found herself stranded between trust and technology. “I became confused. I didn’t know what to do,” she recalled. Years of business dealings ultimately saved the day. Her supplier, relying on their established relationship, allowed her to leave with the goods on trust. It was a reprieve, but not an experience she describes lightly. “It was not funny,” she said.

Regina was fortunate. Carlos Reginald was not. His own encounter with network failure unfolded in a modest local restaurant in Lafenwa, Ogun State, where he had stopped to eat amala, ewedu soup, and goat meat while waiting for a friend. Lafenwa, separated from Ayobo in Lagos by a severely degraded road, already bears the scars of infrastructural neglect. When it came time to pay, the PoS terminal failed repeatedly. With no cash and no network, embarrassment set in. A resident of Agege, Lagos, Carlos depended on the kindness of a stranger. A fellow diner with liquid cash paid his bill. They exchanged phone numbers and bank details. Later that day, after returning to Ayobo, Carlos walked into a First Bank branch and used a self-service kiosk to transfer the money back. “Without that man, I would have been stuck,” he said.

These experiences, though personal, reflect a broader national challenge. Across Nigeria, network failures and service degradation routinely disrupt voice calls, internet access, and digital banking transactions. Often driven by vandalism of telecom infrastructure, these disruptions expose the fragility of a system that now underpins commerce, trust, and daily survival. As Nigeria pushes toward a digital economy, the reliability of its telecommunications backbone is no longer optional—it is essential.

When vandalism becomes a national threat

According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecommunications sector continues to grapple with widespread vandalism and infrastructure sabotage, despite the Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) Order, 2024, signed into law on June 24, 2024, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Rather than abating following the Executive Order, the menace has assumed what industry stakeholders describe as a cancerous scale—spreading from isolated pockets to a nationwide phenomenon that now threatens service reliability and Nigeria’s digital economy ambitions.

The NCC disclosed that telecom operators are battling persistent incidents of wilful vandalism, theft of diesel, generators and inverter batteries, fibre cuts, and systematic denial of access to base transceiver stations (BTS) by non-state actors. These challenges, the Commission said, have continued unabated, undermining network stability and quality of service across the country.

Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, acknowledged that while stakeholders have made concerted efforts to safeguard infrastructure, several critical challenges persist. Providing a snapshot of the scale of the problem, he revealed that the industry records an average of about 1,100 fibre cuts weekly, alongside 545 cases of access denial and 99 theft incidents. “Access denial, vandalism, fibre cuts and theft remain bitter experiences within the industry,” Maida said, stressing that these incidents directly translate into service disruptions, prolonged downtimes and poor customer experience.

Earlier in July, the industry’s umbrella body, the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), raised the alarm over what it described as an alarming escalation in vandalism within the telecom space. According to the association, between May and July 2025 alone, multiple incidents were recorded across cell sites in Rivers, Ogun, Osun, Imo, Kogi, Ekiti, Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, among other states.

“These acts of sabotage have significantly disrupted network services, causing widespread connectivity blackouts, degradation of service quality and severe inconvenience to millions of subscribers,” ALTON said. The association noted that the affected infrastructure primarily belongs to its members, other network operators, and critical institutions that depend on telecom networks for connectivity.

ALTON Chairman, Mr Gbenga Adebayo, explained that critical components such as power cables, rectifiers, fibre optic cables, feeder cables, diesel generators, batteries and solar systems are routinely vandalised or stolen from active sites. “These are not mere materials. They are the backbone of our digital economy, security architecture and national communications grid,” he said. He expressed deep concern over the frequency, intensity and geographical spread of the attacks, noting that states such as Delta, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Lagos, Kogi, Kaduna, Niger, Osun, Kwara and the FCT have recorded particularly high levels of infrastructure sabotage. “These attacks have led to prolonged downtimes, network congestion, widespread blackouts and significant degradation of service quality,” Adebayo added.

Dr Maida identified denial of access to telecom sites as one of the most significant contributors to service downtime, explaining that it prevents operators from carrying out routine operations and critical maintenance activities. He also cited vandalism, fibre cuts and theft of site equipment, cables and diesel as major operational challenges. With a large proportion of BTS still dependent on diesel-powered systems, the cost of operations remains high, further straining operators’ resources.

Beyond vandalism, the NCC boss pointed to long-standing structural bottlenecks that continue to slow network expansion and compromise service quality. These include challenges around securing Right-of-Way (RoW), multiple taxation and access delays across states, all of which hinder fibre rollout. He also lamented the suffocating delays in securing permits for new telecom builds, noting that complex and time-consuming approval processes in some jurisdictions have created infrastructure gaps that complicate efforts to improve quality of service.

Other emerging threats include cybersecurity risks, particularly as over-the-top (OTT) platforms and Internet of Things (IoT) usage expand. In addition, the prevailing security situation in parts of the country has made the deployment, operation and maintenance of communications infrastructure increasingly difficult. Meanwhile, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) say they have responded to recent government interventions with unprecedented investment commitments. Following the Federal Government’s approval of a 50 per cent tariff adjustment on voice calls and internet services earlier this year, operators say they have ramped up spending on network optimisation and capacity upgrades.

According to ALTON, new systems are being deployed, transmission equipment modernised, power systems overhauled, and thousands of kilometres of fibre optic networks are currently being laid and expanded nationwide. “Our industry has not seen this scale of investment in recent years. We are working round the clock to improve quality of service, and we cannot afford these setbacks,” the association said.

Compounding the sector’s woes is the emergence of itinerant scrap merchants searching for so-called “condemned iron,” often aided by local collaborators. Adebayo warned of a thriving market for stolen telecom equipment, including power cables and rectifiers sold openly, batteries repurposed for home and office inverters, solar panels resold to unsuspecting households, and diesel siphoned from sites and traded on the grey market. As stakeholders argue, without decisive enforcement of the CNII Order and coordinated action across federal, state and community levels, the gains of Nigeria’s digital transformation risk being steadily eroded by sabotage and neglect.

How network outages stall growth

The impact of these disruptions is profound and far-reaching. Across Nigeria, entire communities endure prolonged network outages that sever access to markets, education, healthcare and financial services, effectively rendering them “invisible and incommunicado” in an era defined by digital connectivity. Rural and underserved areas bear the brunt of the damage, as repeated fibre cuts—averaging about 1,100 weekly—delay repairs, often complicated by community demands for compensation before access is restored. In May 2025, subscribers on MTN and 9mobile networks experienced peak disruptions caused by fibre damage and power failures, bringing voice calls, data services and economic activities to a standstill.

The economic consequences are equally severe. Network outages trigger billions of naira in revenue losses, customer compensation payouts and repair costs. Industry estimates put losses at about N14.6 billion in 2023 alone, with trends in 2025 pointing to even weaker returns on investment (RoI) for mobile network operators (MNOs) and their shareholders. For households and small business owners like Regina Elehinafe, the disruptions translate directly into lost income as e-commerce, remote work and digital banking grind to a halt. The result is a deepening of poverty in a sector that contributes about 14.4 per cent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Beyond lost revenue, outages routinely shut down USSD banking platforms, telemedicine services and digital commerce channels, causing daily income shortfalls for traders, artisans and gig workers. In May 2025, widespread fibre cuts in parts of northern Nigeria stalled business transactions for several days. Vulnerable users, particularly those reliant on feature phones, were forced to travel long distances to access physical banking services, incurring additional costs and compounding economic hardship in already fragile communities.

Globally, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has consistently emphasised the importance of resilient digital infrastructure as a catalyst for shared prosperity. The organisation notes that fifth-generation (5G) network coverage remains deeply uneven, with about 84 per cent of people in high-income countries having access to 5G services, compared with just four per cent in low-income countries. Nonetheless, ITU estimates that 5G networks will cover roughly 55 per cent of the world’s population in 2025, reflecting strong momentum in advanced mobile technologies—momentum made possible by robust, well-secured infrastructure.

According to the ITU’s Facts and Figures 2025 report, digital infrastructure, affordable services and skills training are critical to ensuring that populations can truly benefit from emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). ITU Secretary-General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, underscored this imperative, noting that “in a world where digital technologies are essential to so much of daily life, everyone should have the opportunity to benefit from being online.” She added that today’s digital divides are increasingly defined by speed, reliability, affordability and skills—factors that must be prioritised to achieve universal connectivity.

In Nigeria, however, the digital divide continues to widen, largely driven by persistent vandalism of telecom infrastructure that stifles broadband expansion and entrenches both rural and urban poverty. Broadband penetration, as of October–December 2025, stands at 49.89 per cent, while active internet subscriptions reached about 142.6 million by October 2025. Yet only about three per cent of these subscribers—just over four million users—are connected to 5G networks. Fourth-generation (4G) services remain dominant at 44.96 per cent, followed closely by 2G at 43.53 per cent, with 3G trailing at 9.32 per cent. Fixed broadband penetration is even more limited, hovering at approximately six per cent nationwide.

Under the National Broadband Plan (NBP), the Federal Government set a target of 70 per cent broadband penetration by the end of 2025. Current figures indicate that Nigeria will miss this benchmark by roughly 20 percentage points, reflecting a combination of infrastructure vandalism, regulatory bottlenecks, security challenges and investment constraints. This shortfall carries significant economic implications. The World Bank has established a strong positive relationship between broadband penetration and GDP growth, finding that a 10 per cent increase in broadband access boosts GDP growth by about 1.21 per cent in developed economies and approximately 1.38 per cent in developing countries. While the Bank notes that broadband’s full impact depends on complementary investments in education and healthcare, it argues that connectivity drives innovation, improves market efficiency and accelerates digital transformation—provided digital divides are addressed to ensure equitable benefits.

Nigeria currently has about 228 million mobile subscriptions, representing roughly 110 million unique users across networks operated by MTN, Airtel, Globacom, T2 and others. Disruptions have been most acute in northern states and rural zones, affecting an estimated 20 to 30 per cent of users weekly through recurrent fibre cuts. With households typically holding two to four subscriptions, between 25 million and 50 million people—or 10 to 15 million homes—have faced outages, particularly MTN and T2 customers during the May disruptions. This occurred despite a local roaming agreement between the two operators, a strategic move by T2’s management aimed at reclaiming lost subscribers.

ITU’s Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, Cosmas Luckyson Zavazavam, maintains that achieving universal connectivity will require sustained and well-targeted investment in infrastructure, digital skills and data systems. “By working together and directing resources where needs are greatest, we can ensure that no one is left behind and that everyone benefits fully and safely from the opportunities of the digital age,” he said.

Despite these challenges, the telecom sector remains a critical pillar of Nigeria’s economy, contributing about N4.4 trillion in the third quarter of 2025 alone—representing 84.5 per cent of the N5.2 trillion generated by the broader information and communications technology (ICT) sector.

Why protecting infrastructure is central to economy

According to figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s information and communications technology (ICT) sector—which includes telecommunications, broadcasting, sound and media production, and publishing—accounted for 9.1 per cent of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the third quarter (Q3) of 2025. This represents a decline from the 11.8 per cent recorded in the previous quarter. Despite the drop in quarterly share, the sector posted a year-on-year growth rate of 5.78 per cent, underscoring its continued relevance as a driver of economic activity.

The data reinforce the centrality of mobile network operators (MNOs) to the performance of the ICT sector. Indeed, the broader digital economy—encompassing telecommunications and financial institutions—contributed about 11.8 per cent to real GDP, translating to roughly N6.7 trillion of Nigeria’s total GDP of N57 trillion during the period under review. This highlights the extent to which digital connectivity underpins commerce, finance and service delivery across the economy.

A closer breakdown of the NBS report shows that broadcasting contributed N430.7 billion, representing 8.2 per cent of ICT sector output, while sound and media production accounted for N379.2 billion, or 7.2 per cent. Publishing, by contrast, remained marginal, contributing just N9 billion—about 0.1 per cent of the total. Overall, Nigeria’s GDP grew by 3.98 per cent in Q3 2025, slightly below the 4.23 per cent growth recorded in Q2 2025, but higher than the 3.86 per cent posted in the corresponding quarter of 2024.

Encouragingly, MNOs appear to be on a gradual path to recovery after a turbulent period marked by currency volatility, rising energy costs and infrastructure-related disruptions. MTN Nigeria, the country’s largest operator, reported a pre-tax profit of N419.61 billion in Q2 2025, a sharp turnaround from the pre-tax loss of N179.60 billion recorded in the same period a year earlier. Airtel Nigeria also posted strong performance, generating $333 million in revenue for the quarter ended June 30, 2025—a 30 per cent year-on-year increase.

Yet industry leaders caution that sustaining this recovery requires urgent and coordinated action to address structural threats to telecom infrastructure. Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, said resolving the challenges confronting the sector goes beyond regulatory enforcement alone and demands inter-agency cooperation, legislative backing, private sector responsibility and sustained public awareness. “To ensure the sustainability of our communications sector and the security of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), the way forward must rest on five pillars,” Maida said. Chief among these, he stressed, is public awareness and community ownership. “We must scale campaigns that sensitise citizens to treat communications infrastructure as national assets. Community-based surveillance programmes can complement state-led enforcement,” he added, noting that the media has a critical role to play in shaping public consciousness. Other pillars outlined by the NCC boss include stronger inter-stakeholder collaboration on CNII protection, improved coordination between players in the communications industry and other critical sectors, and enhanced information sharing among stakeholders to enable faster response to threats and incidents.

For their part, MNOs have appealed directly to the public to remain vigilant and to refrain from purchasing suspicious or stolen telecom equipment. “If you buy stolen telecom equipment, you are not just complicit—you are part of the crime,” operators warned in a joint statement. They urged Nigerians to join the fight against infrastructure vandalism, stressing that telecom assets enable banking systems, national security operations, emergency response, education, healthcare and everyday communication. “An attack on telecom infrastructure is an attack on our economy and our security,” the statement said.

The operators also raised alarm over a second, recurring and deeply troubling issue: the widespread damage to underground fibre optic cables caused by road construction and other civil works along highways and urban roads. According to ALTON, such activities have resulted in significant service outages and substantial financial losses, further undermining network reliability. Consequently, the industry body appealed to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to urgently deploy resources to protect telecom infrastructure and avert a potential breakdown of communications nationwide.

However, consumer advocates argue that MNOs must do more to carry subscribers along in their advocacy efforts. The Association of Telephone, Cable TV and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria (ATCIS Nigeria) faulted what it described as the operators’ top-down approach. Its National President, Sina Bilesanmi, said consumer groups possess grassroots reach that can help embed a culture of infrastructure protection within host communities. “Our members are in every state of the federation. The MNOs should carry ATCIS along in their campaign to halt vandalism,” Bilesanmi said. “We know how to transmit the message to our members to take ownership of the infrastructure. Telecom infrastructure is at the jugular vein of our national economy, providing services to national security, banking, education and other sectors. Let the MNOs carry our members along in their advocacy crusades.”

ALTON, meanwhile, commended the NCC for its proactive efforts to safeguard national telecom infrastructure, particularly the establishment of a dedicated reporting portal that allows citizens to report vandalism or suspicious activity via protect@ncc.gov.ng or by dialling 622. The association described the initiative as a forward-thinking step toward strengthening the resilience and security of Nigeria’s communications network. “This is a desperate and urgent hour. The industry cannot fight this battle alone,” the operators warned. “We need coordinated national action by security agencies, governments at all levels, regulators, the media, civil society and the public. Our national security, economic stability and digital future depend on it.”