The federal government has set up a standing committee to address the challenges of fibre optic cuts during road construction activities across the country.
Last year alone, over 50,000 cuts were experienced across Nigeria as the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr Aminu Wada Maida lamented that the cuts were becoming too heavy for the industry to endure.
The Federal Ministry of Works (FMoW) and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy (FMoCIDE) therefore established a Joint Standing Committee on the Protection of Fiber Optic Cables in the country.
The Director of Public Affairs of the NCC, Reuben Muoka said in a statement that the Committee would address the persistent issue of fiber optic cuts and damages caused by road construction and rehabilitation activities.
He regretted that the disruptions have had a significant negative impact on telecommunications services across Nigeria.
Muoka said the Committee was inaugurated by the Permanent Secretary FMoW, Engr. Olufunso Adebiyi. He said the meeting which was also attended by the Permanent Secretary, FMoCIDE, Engr Farouk Yusuf, had in attendance the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida.
The main assignment of the joint Standing Committee is to establish and maintain clear communication/coordination channels between the two ministries and the NCC to limit and prevent damage to Telecommunications Fiber Optic cables during road constructions or rehabilitation activities, Muoka said.
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He quoted Adebiyi said that the Committee should establish modalities to ensure the reduction of damage to deployed fiber optic cables resulting from road construction and maintenance activities, as well as vandalism which has caused severe incidences of service disruption across the country.
He said the Committee will serve as a coordinating body for all issues about the protection of fibre optic cables, before, during, and after the completion of road constructions or maintenance activities, and will meet regularly to discuss identified problems, agree on industry-wide solutions, set standard engagement processes and procedures, as well as share monthly performance reports.
“They are also expected to develop an instant communication mechanism to facilitate prompt communication and dissemination of information amongst all stakeholders,” he said.
He assured that going forward, the Ministry will ensure that the placement of fibre cables will be considered in the planning, design and construction of the country’s road networks, and would include providing for ducts during construction.
According to Engr. Adebiyi the committee would work closely with all Federal Controllers of Works (FCW) to give attention to the task of protecting this sensitive infrastructure during the planning and implementation stages of projects across the roads in the country while aligning with the telecom operators on all ongoing and future projects.
Engr. Farouk Yusuf, in his remarks, highlighted the significance of fibre optics cables to the country’s economy, stating that fibre networks are the backbone of Nigeria’s digital economy, enabling the seamless delivery of both fixed and mobile broadband services essential for nationwide connectivity, economic growth, and technological innovation.
He noted that the Committee’s work is crucial to ensuring that telecommunication services are not hampered by the work of construction companies.
The EVC/CEO of NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, emphasised the significance of the Committee’s mandate, noting that it has the potential to significantly reduce service disruptions across Nigeria’s telecommunications industry.
“This is a pivotal moment for the telecommunication industry and its customers. Fibre networks are the foundation of Nigeria’s broadband ecosystem, providing the essential high-capacity backhaul required to deliver ultra-fast 4G and 5G speeds, as these next-generation mobile technologies rely on fibre infrastructure to ensure low latency, high reliability, and seamless data transmission.
“Last year, we experienced over 50,000 fiber cuts incidents across the country of which around 30,000 were attributed to Federal and State Road construction activities. In the extreme, some of these incidents have led to major network outages like the February 2024 nationwide MTN network outage.
“A key contributor to the increasing number of fibre cuts attributed to road construction activities is the lack of an efficient handshake mechanism between road construction companies and operators of the fibre infrastructure.
“I am optimistic that the work of this Committee will lead to a significant reduction in fibre cuts attributed to road construction which would then reduce network outages, avoid unnecessary expenditure on repair works, and reduce the need to put redundant routes in place to serve as alternatives whenever there are outages due to fibre cuts.
“This initiative is not just for the benefit of the telecommunications industry but for all Nigerians. Every time a fibre cut occurs, consumers experience service disruptions. The industry is forced to invest in costly redundancy measures, but if we can prevent these avoidable disruptions, operators can redirect resources towards network expansion and infrastructure improvement,” Dr. Maida stated.