Telecom Providers Form Working Group to Safeguard Nigeria’s Infrastructure

Nigerian telecom firms have established an Industry Working Group to promote infrastructure protection throughout the nation. Law enforcement organizations and regulators were among the meeting’s working group which comprises stakeholders in the telecom industry. It was hosted by IHS Nigeria at its corporate headquarters in Lagos.

The conference’s goal was to address the growing number of incidences of telecom infrastructure vandalism, equipment theft, and fibre outages. The increase in fibre cutting, equipment theft, and vandalism of telecom infrastructure that has been happening for a while is the reason for this.

Operators have already revealed that they experienced 2,500 fibre outages in Lagos in 2024, resulting in losses of an estimated N5 billion ($6.25 million).

The Working Group was established during a high-level gathering of telecommunications sector stakeholders, including regulators and law enforcement organizations, that IHS Nigeria hosted at its corporate offices in Lagos, the operators said in a statement.

The Guardian reports that there are around 144, 000 transceiver stations spread over 40,000 telecom towers in Nigeria. Towercos, such as American Tower Company, Pan African Towers, and IHS, are primarily responsible for managing these towers on behalf of the telcos. As the nation’s first telecoms, MTN and Airtel owned a greater portion of the infrastructure.

The stakeholders at the meeting, which was organized under the auspices of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), acknowledged the significance of communications infrastructure as the foundation of social cohesion, economic growth, and national security. They also agreed that urgent solutions involving cooperation are required to guarantee the protection of the assets.

The statement said that the working group is focused on resolving critical industry concerns, including the vandalization and theft of telecommunications infrastructure, arbitrary closure of base stations, fibre cuts due to road construction and the restriction of access by unauthorized people.

As part of its commitment to addressing significant industry issues, including theft and vandalism of telecommunications infrastructure, arbitrary base station shutdowns, fibre cuts caused by road construction, and unauthorized individuals denying access, the working group is strengthening security measures around telecommunications installations by utilizing technology for real-time monitoring and protection, according to a statement released at the end of the meeting.

The organization is enhancing security measures surrounding telecommunications installations by utilizing technology for real-time monitoring and protection.

To lessen these difficulties, they must also cooperate with security and regulatory organizations.

Stakeholders emphasized the significance during the conference and the value of public awareness efforts to educate the public and host communities about the necessity of safeguarding local telecoms infrastructure throughout the discussion.

Dapo Otunla, Senior Vice President & Chief Corporate Services Officer of IHS Nigeria, stressed the need of safeguarding infrastructure as he praised the telecom stakeholders’ decision to form the Working Group.

For all industry participants, protecting and safeguarding the Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) has been of utmost importance and critical concern.

“We are losing assets on a daily basis, which has a big effect on the calibre of service that consumers receive.

“Resolving these problems is essential to maintaining Nigeria’s digital ecosystem and fulfilling legal requirements.” 

One may interpret the telecom operators’ actions as an attempt to independently push the government’s CNII policy into effect.

President Bola Tinubu issued an official decree in August of last year, declaring telecom infrastructure as essential national information infrastructure and making it illegal for anybody to intentionally damage it in the nation.

The “Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure Order, 2024” gazette is a major move that will enhance and safeguard investments in the ICT industry, according to Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy.

But that wasn’t the first time someone would make such a statement. Dr. Isa Panatami, the former Minister of Communications, promised a similar move by former President Muhammadu Buhari in June 2020.

Pantami claims that Buhari authorized and also ordered the implementation of the required physical safeguards to secure the nation’s telecommunications infrastructure.

Vandalism of the infrastructure has continued to occur on a regular basis throughout the nation, therefore that declaration had no effect.