The Nigerian Communications Commission says more than 5,000 fibre optic cable cuts were recorded across the country during the first half of 2026, many of them linked to road construction and rehabilitation.
Executive Vice Chairman Aminu Maida said inadequate coordination between road contractors, government agencies and telecommunications operators was contributing to repeated damage to critical digital infrastructure.
He spoke at a workshop focused on protecting fibre networks during road construction.
Maida said roads and fibre networks were both essential national infrastructure and should be developed without one damaging the other.
A standing committee involving the Federal Ministries of Works and Communications has been established to improve coordination before, during and after construction projects.
The Office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have also joined the initiative because of the national security implications of repeated fibre damage.
The NCC said better information sharing and joint planning would help contractors identify buried infrastructure before excavation begins.
Government representatives at the workshop also called for stronger cooperation to protect telecommunications networks while continuing road development.
The commission said preventing avoidable fibre cuts was essential to maintaining reliable digital services and supporting the wider economy.
