They argued that as much as the effective implementation of the Executive Order on the Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) is important, the Order cannot solely guarantee telecoms infrastructure safety except certain internal and standardisation issues are first resolved by operators.

Speaking at the 7th Policy Implementation Assisted Forum (PIAFo) Summit on CNII implementation (in the telecoms industry) held Thursday in Lagos, the industry leaders highlighted pressing issues such as infrastructure vandalism, unauthorized installations, and cable theft, while proposing actionable solutions to safeguard the country’s critical national infrastructure.

Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), stressed the importance of proper infrastructure maintenance and installation to prevent vandalism and theft.

He highlighted the widespread issue of stolen manhole covers and poles, attributing the problem to poor maintenance practices. “When properly installed, these components are difficult to remove. However, due to negligence, they are often left unsecured, making them easy targets for theft,” he said.

Adebayo also pointed out that community resistance to infrastructure projects has significantly hindered progress. He recounted instances where local communities prevented trucks from accessing sites due to previous unaddressed damages caused by contractors.

“A diesel supplier was blocked from entering an estate because a previous contractor had damaged their property and failed to make repairs. This lack of accountability breeds distrust and delays crucial projects,” he explained.

He urged stakeholders to foster better relationships with communities to prevent such conflicts.

Another critical issue Adebayo identified was the unauthorized installation of infrastructure without government approval, leading to inadvertent damage during road construction projects.

“Government agencies often damage unregistered infrastructure simply because they were not documented in official records. Proper approvals and collaboration with authorities will ensure accountability and protection of critical infrastructure,” he noted.

He called for improved telecoms industry coordination to resolve these challenges internally before seeking external solutions that are promised by the CNII provisions.

Echoing these concerns, Tony Emoekpere, president of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), emphasised the need for standardisation and better coordination among stakeholders.

He pointed out that Nigeria’s infrastructure challenges go beyond technical issues, extending into environmental and moral concerns.

“We are dealing with a moral challenge. An engineer who switched from diesel to gas generators encountered a new problem—workers began stealing engine oil instead, as they could no longer siphon diesel. These issues require both technical and ethical solutions,” he explained.

Emoekpere argued that standardisation is the key to long-term sustainability.

“If infrastructure is deployed in a suboptimal manner, failure is inevitable. We need to establish proper standards that all stakeholders—government, private sector, and the public—can align with,” he stated.

He also emphasized that Nigeria has strong policies, such as local content policies, but implementation remains a major challenge.

“We must move beyond discussions and focus on actionable steps, follow-ups, and policy enforcement,” he added.

The importance of addressing cable theft and vandalism was further stressed by Wale Owoeye, CEO of Cedarview Communications Limited.

He described the alarming frequency of cable cuts, which disrupt network operations and drive up maintenance costs.

“Cable theft is a serious issue. Airtel representatives told me they experience a cable cut every six minutes. The assumption that all black cables contain valuable copper leads to reckless vandalism,” he explained.

To combat this growing problem, Owoeye proposed three key approaches, including reorientation, enforcement, and proactive measures.

“We need to engage local communities in their native languages, educating them on the consequences of vandalism. Strict legal penalties, including long-term imprisonment, should be enforced to deter offenders,” he said.

He also emphasized the need for preventive strategies rather than reactive responses. “Prevention is always more effective and cost-efficient than restoration,” he noted.

As a proactive measure, Owoeye proposed the creation of a dedicated fund to support advocacy and awareness campaigns across Nigeria.

To demonstrate his commitment, he pledged to contribute N500,000 quarterly as a seed fund and encouraged other industry players to follow suit.

“This is like planting a seed. With collective effort, we can grow it into a sustainable solution for protecting Nigeria’s telecom infrastructure,” he said.

The speakers collectively emphasised that addressing these challenges requires collaboration among industry players, government agencies, and local communities.

They called for a concerted effort to enforce policies, engage stakeholders, and implement practical solutions that will ensure the long-term sustainability of Nigeria’s telecommunication infrastructure.

FG’s Fibre Forward Strategic Development Project, a Digital Lifeline or Potential Monopoly?

According to them, without addressing the current issue of Right of Way charges, multiple taxation, and levies, which are under the control of state governments, the project which is to be implemented through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) would be an exercise in futility.

The stakeholders, who spoke during the Sixth Edition of the Policy Implementation Assisted Forum (PIAFO) in Lagos on Wednesday, which was a focus on Nigeria’s renewed strategic agenda for digital economy.

They stressed the need to ensure the successful implementation of the project which was announced recently by the Federal Government to complement existing connectivity for universal access to the internet across Nigeria and provide the Nigerian digital economy with the backbone infrastructure it needed.

Addressing the obstacles 

Presenting a paper on the topic, ‘Harmonizing Nigeria’s Fibre Deployment Strategies for Effective Implementation’, Mr. Chidi Ibisi,  executive director of Broadbased Communications, said while the government’s SPV initiative is a good plan that could help the country bridge its current digital infrastructure gap, the government would need to address current challenges.

“The issues of high cost of Right of Way (RoW), destruction of fiber by road construction companies and vandals all need to be addressed for this new SPV initiative to be successful,” he said.

Highlighting some of the challenges telecom operators face when deploying infrastructure, the Group Chief Operating Officer of WTES Projects Limited, Mr. Chidi Ajuzie, said the biggest challenge to fibre cable laying in Nigeria is the informal RoW by hoodlums in states.

“For states, a formal right of way is set and some states are adopting it but the informal side of the right of way is where the complexity has come today.

“If I’m trying to lay fibre in some communities here in Lagos, the first thing that happens is the so-called land owners (omo onile) come out and a different set of people will keep coming from one street to another and they charge you. How do we achieve adequate broadband infrastructure in this kind of situation?” he said.

Role of state governments 

According to the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, for the 90,000 kilometres fibre project to succeed, the state governments have to take ownership.

“For the project to succeed, I think the governments at sub-nationals should take ownership. This issue of state governments seeing right of way as IGR should be a thing of the past. We can’t talk about the digital economy on one side and the government is seeing those who provide the services as sources of revenue.

“The government has always come up with good policies, but the implantation, particularly when they are tested far afield, is the biggest problem. Governors will go to Abuja and say ‘in my state, I will give the right of way free of charge.’

“When you go to such a state, they may give you the right of way for zero or one Naira, but they will give you developmental levy, education levy, state impact levy, ecosystem levy. When you add all of these together, it is more than the right of way charges. So, who is playing who?” he said.

Making vital contributions at the forum, Dr. Ayotunde Coker, the chief executive officer of Open Access Data Centre (OADC) stressed the need for the fibre project to be executed by the private sector even as the World Bank is expected to fund it with up to $3 billion.

He said:

“The World Bank can put money into the government but it needs private sector partnerships as the execution engine and that’s what we’ve been pushing in Africa.

“The key thing is that when the World Bank puts the money in, it should engage the private sector, figure out the policies that it needs to do and enable the private sector to execute them effectively and make it as open as possible. With that, they can achieve what they are trying to achieve.”

He further stressed that for the success of the project, Nigeria should learn lessons of what didn’t work in the past, to achieve the new broadband penetration targets with the fibre range that is required.

“Meaningful broadband is what we need, rather than just a huge set of megabits per second implementation. We need superhighway fibres. We need the distribution of these backbone that allows us then to fan out.”

He further urged state governors to be part of the project by providing an enabling environment for infrastructure roll-out, adding: “if you are a state governor and didn’t participate in it, the state won’t grow and it’s going to impact your state.”

Earlier in his opening address, Mr. Omobayo Azeez, the convener of PIAFo, said the conference was to create a midpoint dialogue platform for digital economy stakeholders across both the public and private divides to brainstorm, exchange perspectives, clear grey areas, harmonize thoughts and create a sense of collective responsibility towards accelerating our collective prosperity through technical efficiency.

The event focused on Nigeria’s renewed strategic agenda for digital economy.

According to him, the new digital economy blueprint of the federal government does not only sustain existing policy directions and targets, “it also challenges us on the possibilities of attaining new frontiers with a view to “Accelerating Our Collective Prosperity through Technical Efficiency” which is the theme of the summit.

PIAFo, now in its sixth edition, is slated for Wednesday, July 10 at Radisson Blu Hotels, GRA Ikeja, Lagos, with a thematic focus of: “Accelerating Collective Prosperity through Technical Efficiency”.

According to the organisers, the strategic plan of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation Digital Economy (FMCIDE) released recently by the federal government is the anchor policy for the forum as the strategic plan embodies Nigeria’s digital aspirations.

They noted that the current digital economy footprint puts Nigeria on track to attain many targets in years to come; adding that since PIAFo is an initiative designed to drive policies to fruition, the forthcoming conference underscores the need to leverage effective dialogue among relevant stakeholders to achieve the targets.

As such, the Honourable Minister of FMCIDE, Dr. Bosun Tijani is billed to deliver the keynote address while the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida and the Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone Limited, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju would make paper presentations.

Various other captains of industry are also prepared to champion dialogue at the forum by speaking to different topics and participating in panel sessions, according to the organisers.

Speaking on the forthcoming event, the Lead Executive at PIAFo, Mr. Omobayo Azeez, emphasised the need to ensure that the targets spelt out in the various digital economy policy documents do not just remain on the pages of the papers.

According to him:

“There are many targets before us and achieving them within the stipulated timelines is central to the aspiration of Nigeria to unleash a digital ecosystem essential for efficient modern economies, enhanced business operations, smart public services, and job creation.

“This is why we have devoted this year’s edition of PIAFo to this course to create a midpoint dialogue platform for digital economy policymakers, private sector players and relevant local and international bodies to cultivate coordinated efforts towards achieving the targets.”

Currently, Nigeria has standing targets of 70% broadband penetration rate by 2025; 80% population coverage by 2027; up to 500% increase in broadband investment by 2027; 22% increase in net GDP contribution; 100% surge in telecoms revenue to the coffers of the federal government by 2027; 50% improvement on Quality of Service by 2024 ending; and reduction in unserved population in rural areas to 20% by 2027.

Other targets include 100% increase in the number of startups that have access to incentives in Nigeria; 100% increase in the number of tech-enabled startups with access to procurement opportunities in Nigeria; ranking among top 50 countries in AI and creating over 50,000 jobs in Nigeria’s AI industry by 2030; attaining 70% digital literacy for youths and adults by 2027 and up to 40% women participation across all training initiatives; among others.

Powered by BusinessMetrics Limited, PIAFo has remained a platform that receives massive participation from players within the public and private sectors, international community, interest groups and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) at every edition dedicated to creating a conducive policy environment in Nigeria.

The event, now in its fifth edition, is slated for Thursday April 13, 2023 at The Colossus Lagos, 4 Sheraton Link Rd, Maryland, Lagos, with the theme: “NITDA BILL: Towards the Sustainability of Nigeria’s Digital Economy Drive”.

The National Information Technology Development Agency was established in 2007 by the NITDA Act while the NITDA Bill 2021, now pending at the National Assembly, seeks to repeal and re-enact the NITDA Act of 2007.

NITDA is a key agency of the federal government under the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, developing and promoting ICT adoption in the country.

While Nigeria’s digital economy is estimated to have attracted over $4.4 billion investment in the last four years, organisers of PIAFo said the event has been designed to boost investments in the space and increase digital deliverables for Nigerians through productive stakeholder consultations to engender an environment for the sustainability of the digital economy drive.

PIAFo, an initiative of Business Metrics Nigeria, has been at the forefront of policy advocacy, policy implementation and policy assessment, especially in the ICT and telecoms sector, as it puts premiums on dialogue for socio-economic prosperity.

Speaking on the event, Omobayo Azeez, PIAFo Lead Executive, said “Nigeria’s digital economy has become a collective project for players across sectors in the public and private spheres. The ICT sector is a lifeline for the economy and this has been proven time and again through its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), among other ways.

“In the last quarter of 2022, the sector contributed 16.22% to the GDP, rising from 15.35% in the third quarter of the year. In fact, in the preceding Q2 of 2022, total ICT contribution to GDP was higher at 18.94%.”

Azeez, who doubles as Editor of Business Metrics Nigeria, further said that as the NITDA Bill 2021 proposes certain changes in a view to align with the ever-changing ICT sector, the need for robust consultative engagements with relevant stakeholders is imperative to ensure its seamless implementation and ensure efforts from all ends are integrated for the sustainability of the country’s digital economy drive.

“So, we have designed this forum as an avenue for constructive dialogue for concerned government agencies, players in the ICT and telecoms sector, legal experts and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the country.

“The event is planned to be a full-day engaging discussion after which a detailed report shall be issued to reflect aggregate views expressed by discussants with their recommendations in the interest of growing our digital economy,” he added.

Pantami made the disclosure in Lagos at the just concluded fourth edition of Policy Implementation Assisted Forum (PIAFo) on Dig Once Policy and Fibre Strategy in Nigeria with the theme: Laying the Foundation for Ubiquitous Broadband for Nigeria’s Economic Breakthrough.

He stated at the event organized by Business Metrics Nigeria that the policy will facilitate seamless deployment of fibre optic as a backbone broadband infrastructure across the country to bridge digital divide and boost digital economy.

Represented by Engineer Usman Aliyu, Secretary of Broadband Implementation Steering Committee (BISC) and Head, Wireless Network at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Pantami said the policy is recognized in the Nigeria Broadband Plan 2020-2025 as a critical element to attain 70% broadband penetration by 2025.

According to him, the policy, which seeks to promote installation of ready-made buried fibre conduit for seamless fibre deployment in the country, had received necessary inputs coming from robust engagements with relevant stakeholders for effective realisation of its essence.

He said: “Some of the objectives of the policy are provisioning of shared infrastructure for existing internet service providers and entrants; promotion of installation of ready-made buried fibre conduit for broadband deployment; and reduction of the barriers to entry for Internet Service Providers.

“Others are to promote coordination and reduce the number of excavations and disruptions caused due to fibre installation works; to lower the cost of broadband internet service deployment; to promote joint installation of infrastructures in a single phase and avoid unnecessary future digging as well as encouraging infrastructure, and to promote a unified and affordable pricing regime across the federation for Right of Ways.”

He also said that once the policy becomes operational in Nigeria, there would be lower cost of repair and maintenance of installed fiber infrastructure and lower cost of broadband internet service deployment.

While delivering a paper on Fibre Infrastructure Rollout Ecosystem Development to Reach 60% Fibre to Site at 120,000km by 2025, Ashwani Mishra, ICT Director at Huawei Technologies recommended ways Nigeria can achieve fibre infrastructure targets by 2025 as stipulated in the NBP 2020-2025.

According to him, the Dig Once Implementation Council (DOIC), as Special Purpose Vehicle, should clarify the fibre strategy, boundary and scope of work of each stakeholders and publish quarterly progress reports.

He also encouraged Nigeria to put in place a mechanism to clarify the cooperation between the DOIC and Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) to help drive the policy adoption to state level and as such, redefine the issue of Right of Way (RoW).

Other recommendations made by Mishra include stimulating demand by making provision of ICT infrastructure a standard requirement for new buildings to drive extension of fibre everywhere in the country; making duct a standard specification for road reconstruction and new buildings, uniform RoW charges and establishment of service level agreements for (SLA) for each department or ministry involved in the process of approval.

Earlier in his remarks, Omobayo Azeez, Convener and Lead Executive of PIAFo, emphasised that fibre is critical to achieving the 70% broadband penetration Nigeria is currently targeting.

He said there is need for all stakeholders, especially state and local governments to embrace and domesticate the policy in their respective states.

He said: “According to the National Broadband Plan, we are targeting a network of 90,000km and 120,000km of non-overlapping fibre infrastructure by 2023 and 2025 respectively from just 40,000km in 2020.

“As of the end of 2021, data by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) indicated that total fibre Optics so far deployed in Nigeria stood at 74,947km, including 47,128.7km on-land and 27,818.3km submarine.

“This indicates that we still have a long way to go to attain pervasive broadband infrastructure that will deliver high-speed internet to power our digital economy dream. However, dedicated efforts on dig once policy will help us to get there faster and with moderated cost implication.”

He stressed that the fourth edition of PIAFo Summit was designed as a dialogue point to engender clear policy direction and ultimately stimulate successful implementation of Dig Once Policy and Fibre roll-out in Nigeria to further empower the economy.

The stakeholders’ forum on Dig Once Policy and Fibre Strategy Implementation in Nigeria was endorsed and supported by Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Huawei Technologies Company Nigeria Limited, NgCom Networks Limited, IHS Towers Nigeria, FibreOne Broadband Limited, Association of Telecommunication Company of Nigeria (ATCON), Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), and the Nigerian Communications Commissions (NCC).

The event, powered by Business Metrics Nigeria, with the theme: ‘Establishing Trackable Metrics for Developing Nigeria’s Indigenous Telecoms Sector’, is slated for Thursday, July 28th, 2022 at Radisson BLU Hotel, Isaac John, GRA, Ikeja Lagos.

The forum seeks to facilitate the successful implementation of the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector that was released last year.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Pantami, is expected to chair the event while Professor Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), would deliver the keynote address.

Other agencies such as National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) are also billed to champion discourse alongside captains of industry.

Omobayo Azeez, Managing Editor at Business Metrics and Lead Executive at PIAFo said that annual outflow of foreign exchange for the telecommunications sector amounts to approximately $2.16 billion, according to the leadership of Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON).

A breakdown of the forex spending includes $750 million on CAPEX programs; $250 million on Network software licensing; $800 million spent as management fees; a circa $157 million on managed services for Tier 2 & 3 Support and another $200 million dollars escapes the country as miscellaneous.

“To develop a telecommunications sector where innovative indigenous solutions will create value and prosperity, the need for periodical engagements by relevant stakeholders within and outside the sector is imperative.

“Nigeria Communications Commission is our principal partner on this edition of the forum, and the conference shall serve as an avenue for stakeholders to make valuable contributions that would later be used as inputs for establishing measurable metrics for developing the telecoms sector going forward,” Azeez said

He further stated that domestication of indigenous content policy in every sector is an effective way to liberate the Nigerian economy and flip it from a consuming nation to a producing one with robust internal economic strength that can absorb external shock waves.

“With the coming of the fifth-generation technology (5G) and other emerging technologies, there is no doubt that the estimated $2.16 billion annual forex spending as at two years ago will more than double in the next two years unless we are able to advance collaborative efforts to drive the indigenous content policy to fruition. This is the purpose of PIAFo and with the forthcoming edition, we are committed to the course,” he added.