*The Nigerian Communications Commission discloses the basic assignment of the Joint Standing Committee of the Federal Ministries of Works, Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy is to establish and maintain clear communication/co-ordination channels between the two ministries and the NCC minimise and prevent damage to telecoms fiber optic cables during road constructions or rehabilitation activities in the country

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

The Federal Ministry of Works (FMoW) and Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy (FMoCIDE), in Nigeria, have established a Joint Standing Committee on the Protection of Fiber Optic Cables to address the persistent issue of fiber optic cuts and damage caused by road construction and rehabilitation activities.

绿帽献妻 reports disruptions from such fiber cuts and attendant damage have had a significant negative impact on telecoms services across Nigeria.

The Joint Standing Committee on Protection of Fiber Optic Cables was inaugurated Tuesday, February 18, in the Boardroom of the FMoW, by the Permanent Secretary, Engr. Olufunso Adebiyi, and his counterpart in the FMCIDE, Engr. Farouk Yusuf, with the attendance of Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice-Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Mr. Reuben Muoka, Director of Public Affairs at NCC in a statement, said the Joint Committee is comprised of key staff from the two Federal Government Ministries and the NCC.

Muoka disclosed the main assignment of the joint Standing Committee is to establish and maintain clear communication/co-ordination channels between the two ministries and the NCC in order to limit and prevent damage to Telecommunications Fiber Optic cables during road constructions or rehabilitation activities.

Joint Standing Committee鈥檚 Terms of reference, by Engr. Adebiyi

The telecoms sector regulatory Commission said Engr. Adebiyi, while inaugurating the Committee, directed it to 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 service disruptions in the digital ecosystem in Nigeria.

He also noted the Committee would serve as a coordinating body for all issues pertaining to the protection of fiber optic cables, before, during, and after the completion of road constructions or maintenance activities, and would meet on a regular basis to discuss identified problems, agree on industry-wide solutions, set standard engagement processes and procedures, as well as share monthly performance reports.

The Permanent Secretary of FMoW further stated: 鈥淭hey are also expected to develop an instant communication mechanism to facilitate prompt communication and dissemination of information among all stakeholders.”

The statement disclosed Adebiyi as well assured that going forward, the Federal Ministry of Works would ensure that the placement of fiber cables would be considered in the planning, design and construction of the country鈥檚 road networks, and would include providing for ducts during constructions.

According to the Permanent Secretary, the committee will 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. Yusuf: Fiber optic cables remain backbone of Nigeria Digital Economy

In his remarks at the forum also, Engr. Yusuf, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, highlighted the significance of fiber optics cables to the country鈥檚 economy.

He also emphasised that fiber networks are the backbone of the Nigeria Digital Economy, enabling the seamless delivery of both fixed and mobile broadband services essential for nationwide connectivity, economic growth, and technological innovation.

He further averred that the Committee鈥檚 work is crucial to ensuring that telecommunications services are not hampered by the work of construction companies.

Fiber networks are foundation of Nigeria鈥檚 Broadband ecosystem, says Dr. Maida

Speaking on the Joint Standing Committee, Dr. Maida, EVC/CEO of NCC, highlighted the significance of the Committee鈥檚 mandate.

Maida affirmed the mandate has the potential to significantly reduce service disruptions across Nigeria鈥檚 telecommunications industry.

The NCC Chief stated: “This is a pivotal moment for the telecommunication industry and its customers.

“Fiber networks are the foundation of Nigeria鈥檚 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 fiber infrastructure to ensure low latency, high reliability, and seamless data transmission.”

He also said: “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 had led to major network outages like the February 2024 nationwide MTN network outage.”

The EVC/CEO noted: “A key contributor to the increasing number of fiber cuts attributed to road construction activities is the lack of an efficient handshake mechanism between road construction companies and operators of the fiber infrastructure.

鈥淚 am optimistic that the work of this Committee will lead to a significant reduction in fiber 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 fiber cuts.”

Dr. Maida further said: 鈥淭his initiative is not just for the benefit of the telecommunications industry but for all Nigerians.

“Every time a fiber 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.”

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