With 171 million mobile subscribers and a teledensity of 79.22% as of June 2025, our telecommunications sector is the backbone of digital inclusion, connecting Nigerians to education, economic opportunities, and essential services. The industry contributes over 14.4% to Nigeria’s GDP (as of Q4 2024) and underpins nearly all critical sectors—from banking, energy, and health to security, education, and governance. Yet, this infrastructure faces relentless threats…
By Olawale Lamina
The Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian Communications Commission ,NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida has tasked members of the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria, ATCON, and telecoms stakeholders on the need to forge a path toward a secure, resilient, adaptive, and inclusive digital future. especially as the nation’s journey toward a digitally enabled and economically secure future rests on strengthening its digital infrastructure.
The EVC stated this during his keynote address at the Second Edition of the association’s strategic meeting in Abuja on Friday.
Maida explained that the event is centered around the theme ‘Building Resilience in Nigeria’s Digital Infrastructure: The Executive Order and Beyond.”
He noted that as the nation accelerates its digital transformation, it is now at a critical juncture of unprecedented opportunities and formidable challenges, especially in a world increasingly defined by data and digital systems, adding that, “our infrastructure is no longer just physical—it is virtual, interconnected, and crucial to every sector of society.”
The NCC boss stressed the need for industry players to forge a path toward a secure, resilient, adaptive, and inclusive digital future.
He said that, “The digital transformation of Nigeria has accelerated over the past decade. From e-governance to digital financial services, telemedicine, education, and smart agriculture, the dependency on digital infrastructure continues to grow. However, this transformation brings with it a host of vulnerabilities: cyber-attacks, physical sabotage, climate-related disasters, and infrastructural duplication, among others.”
But Dr. Maida made it clear that vulnerabilities in the industry are far-reaching and are capable of disruption in the telecommunications network which can stall emergency services, halt financial transactions, disrupt businesses and affect national security, among other consequences. At this point he harped on the imperative of resilience which he argued is beyond luxury but a national imperative.
“At the heart of our discussion is the Presidential Order of June 2024, which designates telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII).
“CNII encompasses the interconnected systems and networks—telecommunications, data centers, and digital platforms—that power Nigeria’s economy, security, public health, and governance. These are the foundational pillars of our digital ecosystem, enabling critical sectors like finance, healthcare, energy, and education to thrive. Telecom towers, fibre optic networks, data centres constitute the digital lifelines of our economy, and any disruption to these assets could paralyse vital services—including emergency communications, financial transactions, and government operations.
“This designation is a landmark recognition of telecommunications as a cornerstone of national stability and digital sovereignty. With 171 million mobile subscribers and a teledensity of 79.22% as of June 2025, our telecommunications sector is the backbone of digital inclusion, connecting Nigerians to education, economic opportunities, and essential services.
“The industry contributes over 14.4% to Nigeria’s GDP (as of Q4 2024) and underpins nearly all critical sectors—from banking, energy, and health to security, education, and governance. Yet, this infrastructure faces relentless threats.
“The Nigeria Cybersecurity Outlook Report by Deloitte highlights a surge in cyber threats in 2024, from ransomware to insider attacks. Physical disruptions, such as vandalism and theft, are equally alarming, with service providers reporting an average of 30 to 43 fibre cuts daily. These incidents erode service reliability, public trust, and economic stability.”
On the need to protect the telecoms facilities, Dr. Maida observed that, “The Presidential Order is a clarion call to protect this vital infrastructure. It aligns with Nigeria’s National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (2020- 2030) and the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
He expressed the confidence that a resilient CNII will among other value addition, foster citizen confidence, attract investment, and position Nigeria as a leader in Africa’s digital economy, even as he warned that, in the absence of this, aspirations for a connected and prosperous nation will be faced with risk.
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