The Nigerian Communications Commission has disclosed that the country witnessed more than 19,000 incidents of fibre cuts between January and August 2025, posing serious threats to broadband expansion and digital connectivity efforts.
Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, made the revelation on Wednesday during a business roundtable held in Abuja, focused on improving broadband investment and protecting critical national infrastructure.
According to him, “Infrastructure attacks and vandalism continue to pose a challenge. Between January and August 2025 alone, Nigeria recorded 19,384 fibre cut incidents, 3,241 cases of equipment theft, and over 19,000 cases of denials of access to telecom sites.
“Together, these disruptions have caused prolonged outages, revenue losses, increased security costs, and delayed service restoration. They demonstrate why infrastructure protection must be at the centre of our collective agenda.”
Maida identified several additional obstacles hampering broadband growth, including inconsistent Right of Way (RoW) policies across states, energy instability, multiple taxation, and complex permitting procedures.
“Another persistent challenge facing broadband expansion in Nigeria is the fragmented and unpredictable Right of Way (RoW) regimes across different states, which create delays and cost uncertainties for operators.
“This problem is compounded by inconsistent enforcement of critical infrastructure protection, weak coordination with road authorities, and the absence of clear construction planning protocols.
“Beyond these, the sector continues to contend with energy supply volatility, multiple taxation, and cumbersome permitting processes, all of which pose significant headwinds to progress.
One of the most significant barriers to broadband deployment in Nigeria has been the high cost of Right of Way (RoW) fees charged by state governments, despite a resolution by the Nigerian Governors Forum fixing the rate at N145 per linear meter,” he said.
Addressing ongoing efforts to mitigate the challenges, Maida noted that the NCC has stepped up engagement with state governments to reduce or eliminate RoW fees in order to accelerate broadband deployment.
“Recognising this challenge, the Commission intensified advocacy with states to reduce or waive these fees to accelerate broadband rollout. Within the past two years, five additional states—Adamawa, Bauchi, Enugu, Benue, and Zamfara—have waived RoW fees entirely.
“This brings the total number of states offering zero RoW charges to eleven (11), while 17 states have capped it at N145 per metre. Our sustained engagement with state governments, including today’s gathering underscores our commitment to creating an enabling environment for broadband expansion.
“We are also promoting the ‘dig-once’ coordination with public works to cut avoidable fibre damage and lower civil-works costs by sharing ducts and plans. Our goal is uniform, predictable RoW countrywide, paired with clear permitting SLAs,” he said.
He further stated that in line with its regulatory responsibilities, the Commission approved cost-reflective and competitive tariff structures earlier this year, and has also initiated a wholesale Fibre Study to optimise existing and future infrastructure.
As of August 2025, Nigeria had achieved a broadband penetration rate of approximately 48.81%, with over 140 million people having access to internet services, according to Maida.
