The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has unveiled a strategic six-point action plan aimed at curbing disruptions and safeguarding critical telecommunications infrastructure across the country.
Delivering the keynote address at a workshop organized by the Nigerian Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) in Lagos, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, presented a paper titled:
“The Way Forward: A Multi-Stakeholder Agenda to Ensure the Sustainability of the Nigerian Communications Sector and the Security of its Critical Infrastructure.”
The EVC six-point acting plan came in a day the Association of Telemmunication Operators in Nigeria, ALTON, raised alarm over ongoing disruptions to the supply of diesel to telecom cell sites across the country.
Dr. Maida emphasized the urgency of protecting national telecom assets from vandalism, sabotage, and other threats that pose serious socio-economic and security risks.
He highlighted the following six-point agenda as the Commission’s roadmap to achieving long-term infrastructure sustainability:
- Public Awareness and Community Ownership: Creating broad-based awareness and encouraging local communities to take ownership of telecom infrastructure.
- Strategic Media Engagement: Leveraging the media as a key stakeholder in information dissemination and public education.
- Improved Inter-Stakeholder Collaboration: Enhancing synergy between telecom operators, government agencies, law enforcement, and other critical stakeholders.
- Enhanced Information Sharing: Ensuring real-time coordination, especially between construction firms and infrastructure owners, to prevent accidental damage during development projects.
- Streamlined Permitting Processes: Instituting a uniform, simplified framework for acquiring permits and rights of way for new telecom builds.
- Strengthened Enforcement and Deterrence: Bolstering legal enforcement mechanisms and applying adequate punitive measures against perpetrators of infrastructure vandalism.
Dr. Maida underscored the critical nature of the issue, stating:
“There is a pressing need to ensure adequate punitive measures are taken against culprits involved in the damage of critical infrastructure, considering the impact on the socio-economic, safety, and security of Nigerians.”
He called for scaled-up public campaigns to educate citizens on treating telecom infrastructure as national assets, adding that community-based surveillance programs can reinforce government-led protection efforts.
The NITRA workshop, themed:
“Telecom Industry Sustainability and CNII Factor – Way Forward,”
provided a platform for dialogue among industry stakeholders, media practitioners, and policy influencers on sustainable strategies for securing Nigeria’s communications backbone.
The workshop was sponsored bv NCC, ALTON and IHS.
L-R: Project Manager, Africa-BroadBand (BB) Maps, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Dana Jon Kamason; Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Rimini Makama; Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, NCC, NCC; Dr. Aminu Maida; Deputy Ambassador, European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria, Zissmos Vergas; Head, Green and Digital Economy, EU Delegation to Nigeria, Inga Stefanowicz; and Project Officer, Africa-BB-Maps, ITU, Elind Sulmina, during a three-day National Broadband Mapping System held in Abuja this week (August 5-6, 2025).
