Would you like to receive notifications on latest updates of the following headlines?

FG Set to Criminalise Fiber Cable Damage -Report

POSTED ON April 19, 2024 •   Business      BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara •   VIEWS 170
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu l Credit: @officialABAT l Source: X

Nigeria is taking steps to make the destruction of broadband fiber cables a criminal offense in order to address the complaints from leading telecommunications companies such as MTN Nigeria Communications Plc. 

Insiders familiar with the matter have revealed that the Works Ministry, which supervises federal road construction, is in the last stages of creating regulations, as reported by Bloomberg on Thursday. 

These regulations are anticipated to be approved as an executive order by President Bola Tinubu.

Although laws against vandalism already exist, authorities are seeking to intensify scrutiny of construction firms. The forthcoming executive order will impose severe penalties on perpetrators, although specific details and the signing date remain undisclosed.

“Telecom assets are a critical backbone that supports the economy across sectors,” said a senior presidential aide, Temitope Ajayi, who noted that the Association of Telecommunications Companies has been demanding the classification for years.

“New rules will provide “further assurance that the Nigerian government will protect their investments against vandals and criminal elements.”

The Nigerian Communications Commission estimates that the sector will make up more than a fifth of the country’s gross domestic product by the end of 2027, up from 13.5 per cent in the third quarter of last year.

The move will help alleviate pressure on the telecoms sector, which is facing increased operating costs and sales pressures from a sharp depreciation in the currency and a threefold increase in energy prices.

Repairs and revenue losses from damaged cables is estimated to have cost the sector almost N27bn ($23m) last year alone, documents seen by Bloomberg show. MTN Nigeria, the biggest wireless operator in Africa’s most-populous nation, and Airtel Africa Plc bore the brunt of the costs, the documents show.

MTN suffered more than 6,000 cuts on its fiber cable last year, the documents show. On Feb. 28, a cut in its network in three different locations by a road construction firm, an oil servicing company, and someone burning rubbish in a manhole meant customers faced more than five hours of data and voice outages.

The operator relocated 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) of vulnerable fiber cables between 2022 and 2023, at a cost of more than N11bn —enough to build 870 kilometers of new fiber lines in areas without coverage.

A presidential order on the matter would be welcomed, said the head of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, Tony Izuagbe Emoekpere.

“When it comes to communication infrastructure, they are destroyed at will, so we are eagerly awaiting the president’s order,” he said. “It would be a great boost to the industry, and it will also encourage investment.”

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Dangote Refinery reduces petrol price by two per cent
BY Benedicta Bassey November 25, 2024 0

NIGERIA  — Dangote Petroleum Refinery has reduced the price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS,...

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
IMF pledges support for Tinubu's reforms
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara November 21, 2024 0

The President of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva has expressed strong ba...

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Amazon Shares Show Resilience Amid Market Fluctuations
BY Suleiman Kelvin Jimoh November 21, 2024 0

Amazon.com Inc (AMZN) has demonstrated a remarkable rebound in the stock market, showing a year-to-d...

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Gombe gov presents N320bn 2025 budget to assembly
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara November 20, 2024 0

Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, presented a proposed budget of N320.11 billion for the 2025...

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
NNPCL: Coalition group vows protest, says 1.6bn litres PMS will cripple economy
BY Benedicta Bassey November 20, 2024 0

NIGERIA—Following the decision by the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), to i...

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
FG reviews housing budget to N500bn for 2025
BY Benedicta Bassey November 19, 2024 0

NIGERIA —The Federal Government on Tuesday said it is reviewing it's annual housing budget to...

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Naira appreciates, hit N1,735/$ in parallel market
BY Benedicta Bassey November 19, 2024 0

The Naira appreciated to N1,735 per dollar in the parallel market from N1,740 per dollar last weeken...

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Tinubu, India PM sign pacts to foster collaboration in defence, economy
BY Benedicta Bassey November 18, 2024 0

NIGERIA — Nigeria and India have entered into partnership to foster collaboration in  def...

OUR CHANNELS:

OTHER ARTICLES ::

25th November, 2024
Lagos residents petition IGP over FHA's breach of court orders
BY Benedicta Bassey November 25, 2024 0

LAGOS STATE, Nigeria - Following an alleged breach of the rule of law by officials of the Feder...


Dangote Refinery reduces petrol price by two per cent
BY Benedicta Bassey November 25, 2024 0

NIGERIA  — Dangote Petroleum Refinery has reduced the price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS,...


Jet crash: One dead, others sustains injury in Lithuania
BY Benedicta Bassey November 25, 2024 0

LITHUANIA, Europe: One person has died, and three others were injured following a cargo plane that c...


Celebrated South African writer, Breytenbach dies leaving strong legacy
BY Benedicta Bassey November 25, 2024 0

South Africa —  Celebrated anti-apartheid writer, poet and activist, Breyten Breytenbach,...


Boats mishap claim 24 Somali migrants near Madagascar
BY Benedicta Bassey November 25, 2024 0

MOGADISHU, East Africa --- At least 24 Somali nationals have died after two boats carrying migr...


Probe humanitarian ministry's missing N57bn, SERAP tells Tinubu
BY Benedicta Bassey November 25, 2024 0

NIGERIA — The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has called on President Bo...


Lagos Govt extols S’Court verdict, nullifying National Lottery Act
BY Benedicta Bassey November 25, 2024 0

LAGOS, Nigeria  — The Lagos State Government has hailed the Supreme Court judgm...


A’Ibom suspends principal, begins probe over poor meal in boarding schools
BY Benedicta Bassey November 25, 2024 0

AKWA IBOM, Nigeria  — The Akwa Ibom State government has suspended the principal of...


NAFDAC warns against unsafe antibiotics use in animals, humans
BY Benedicta Bassey November 25, 2024 0

NIGERIA  — The Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration an...


Top doctors halt strike action to review FG's response
BY Benedicta Bassey November 25, 2024 0

NIGERIA — The Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has suspend...


Menu