Emmanuel Ukudolo I Saturday, August 15, 2025
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC has called on the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, ATCON, telecom operators and stakeholders to collaborate with it in the quest to protect Critical National Information Infrastructure, CNII.
CNII encompasses the interconnected systems and networks—telecommunications, data centers, and digital platforms—that power Nigeria’s economy, security, public health, and governance.
“These are the foundational pillars of our digital ecosystem, enabling critical sectors like finance, healthcare, energy, and education to thrive. Telecom towers, fibre optic networks, data centres constitute the digital lifelines of our economy, and any disruption to these assets could paralyse vital services—including emergency communications, financial transactions, and government operations”, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida said at the second edition of the strategic stakeholders meeting of ATCON on Friday.
Maida who was speaking on “Building Resilience in Nigeria’s Digital Infrastructure: The Executive Order and Beyond”, said in partnership with the Office of National Security Adviser, ONSA, the NCC is developing a robust plan to prevent unauthorized access, vandalism and cyber attacks.
He said states and local governments are critical partners in this journey to protect CNII.
“They are responsible for enforcing compliance, securing right-of-way for fibre deployments, and addressing local challenges like vandalism. However, inconsistent policies, high taxation, and limited coordination between state and federal agencies pose significant hurdles. The NCC is actively engaging state governments to harmonize policies and ensure CNII protection at the sub-national level.
“We have also institutionalised mediation as a proactive dispute resolution mechanism. In instances where operators face administrative hurdles or community resistance during infrastructure roll-out, the NCC actively intervenes to facilitate consensus. This approach has yielded measurable outcomes—
notably in Osun and Kogi States, where previously stalled infrastructure deployments have resumed following regulatory mediation.
“This reinforces our belief that engagement, not litigation, is often the more sustainable path to resolving industry friction points”, Maida said.
He said that while collaboration and awareness remain the primary tools, enforcement actions are not off the table.
“The NCC views enforcement as a measure of last resort—one to be deployed only when all engagement and mediation avenues have been exhausted. And when we do enforce, it is with the backing and cooperation of relevant security, legal, and oversight institutions. Our goal is not to penalise, but to preserve the integrity and continuity of national communications systems”, he said.
