Nigeria’s telecoms regulator has urged state governors to remove regulatory and infrastructure barriers hindering broadband expansion, warning that delays threaten the country’s digital economy and could leave millions without access to vital services.
Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), told a business roundtable in Abuja that broadband had become the country’s “new economic backbone,” calling on state governments to align policies and protect telecom infrastructure.
“Connectivity is the quiet enabler. When it fails, opportunities vanish, productivity stalls, and in critical moments, lives can be lost,” Maida said at the meeting, held at the NCC Digital Economy Complex.
Nigeria’s broadband penetration stood at 48.8% in August, well short of the 70% target set under the National Broadband Plan (2020–2025). Maida said recent gains could be undermined by vandalism, theft, and inconsistent Right of Way (RoW) fees imposed by different states.
Between January and August, the country recorded more than 19,000 fibre cuts and 3,000 cases of equipment theft, according to NCC data. “These are not mere operational issues but threats to national security and competitiveness,” Maida said.
He announced that five new states — Adamawa, Bauchi, Enugu, Benue and Zamfara — had scrapped RoW charges, joining six others that had previously done so. But he said uneven policy adoption was still discouraging private investment.
The NCC has also begun implementing a presidential order designating telecom assets as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), empowering security agencies to protect sites and prosecute vandals. Maida said cooperation with the Office of the National Security Adviser had already led to the dismantling of major theft cartels.
To attract more investment, the regulator unveiled two new initiatives — an Ease of Doing Business Portal to provide a one-stop shop for investors, and a Nigeria Digital Connectivity Index (NDCI) that will rank states by their digital readiness and broadband coverage.
Maida said over $1 billion in new broadband commitments had been recorded this year, but warned that without coordinated action, progress could stall.
“This is not a federal push; it is a national mission,” he said. “If our broadband backbone is weak, our youth will be marginalised. A community without connectivity is a community without opportunity.”
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