The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, has urged national and sub-national stakeholders to align policies and actions that promote broadband investment and safeguard Nigeria’s critical digital infrastructure, warning that “the cost of inaction is too high for the nation’s future.”
“Connectivity is the quiet enabler,” Maida stated, underscoring its vital role in national productivity and resilience.
He asked, “How much is an hour of connectivity worth?”— noting that broadband access underpins modern business, governance, and security operations across Nigeria.
As of August 2025, Nigeria’s broadband penetration stood at 48.81%, representing over 140 million internet users.
He cited global research showing that every 10% increase in broadband penetration drives up to 1.38% GDP growth in developing economies, saying Nigeria’s progress toward the 70% broadband target by 2025 could unlock massive socio-economic dividends.
Dr. Maida highlighted several recent achievements by the NCC under the guidance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, including:
Operationalisation of the Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) Presidential Order (2024), which mandates stronger protection for telecom assets, empowering security agencies to address vandalism and theft while ensuring uninterrupted network services.
Five more states, Adamawa, Bauchi, Enugu, Benue, and Zamfara, have joined six others in waiving RoW charges entirely, while 17 states have capped fees at ₦145 per metre, promoting affordable fibre rollout.
NCC’s regulatory interventions have bolstered investor confidence, with operators pledging over $1 billion in new broadband rollout investments nationwide.
The Commission is developing a wholesale fibre access model to enhance interconnectivity among operators, alongside public dashboards tracking service quality, outages, and compliance.
Despite progress, Maida lamented that vandalism remains rampant, between January and August 2025, Nigeria recorded 19,384 fibre cuts, 3,241 equipment thefts, and over 19,000 site access denials, causing massive service disruptions and losses.
The EVC appealed to state governments to become active partners in safeguarding and expanding Nigeria’s broadband infrastructure.
“Every Governor and State holds a strategic lever,” he said.
“Waiving Right of Way charges, protecting telecom infrastructure, and supporting fibre deployment are decisions that determine prosperity or stagnation.”
He urged all states to adopt full RoW waivers or the NGF benchmark; Institutionalise coordination between public works and telecom operators; Embrace transparency and single-window permitting; Support hybrid and solar-powered sites to enhance uptime.
Dr. Maida announced that the Commission would soon launch two strategic tools to include "Ease of Doing Business Portal, a one-stop platform linking all 36 states and the FCT for simplified broadband deployment processes.
In addition he listed the Nigeria Digital Connectivity Index (NDCI) as an annual scorecard ranking each state’s digital readiness and competitiveness.
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