.Nigeria has over 140 million internet users as of August 2025
By Olawale Lamina
The Executive Vice Chairman, EVC, of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, has appealed to state governments in the country to align their policies on Right of Way (RoW), to safeguard telecommunication infrastructure as a means of fast-tracking broadband investment and digital inclusion across Nigeria.
Dr. Maida who spoke at the Business Roundtable on Improving Investments in Broadband Connectivity and Safeguarding Critical National Infrastructure, underscored the importance of broadband as vital to the economy.
The NCC boss highlighted the challenges facing broadband expansion in the country to include high RoW charges by state governments, attack on infrastructure and other acts of vandalism.
Dr. Maida disclosed that sadly, between January and August 2025, Nigeria recorded 19,384 fibre cut incidents, 3,241 cases of equipment theft, and over 19,000 cases of denials of access to telecom sites, all having negative implications on the economy.
He stressed that, in spite of the drawbacks, Nigeria has improved on its broadband coverage, with a penetration rate of 48.81% and over 140 million internet users as of August 2025.
He equally listed other initiatives undertaken by the NCC, such as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) Presidential Order: Providing Legal Backing for the Protection of Telecom Assets and Empowering Law Enforcement Agencies to deal with Vandalism and Theft,
On Right of Way (RoW) Fee Reduction, he informed that 11 states had waived RoW fees entirely, while 17 others had capped rates at N145 per meter.
He mentioned other initiatives like “Dig-once” Policy, focusing on Coordinating public works with telecom operators to prevent accidental fibre cuts and lower civil works costs and Cost-reflective Tariffs, which centers on approving tariff rates that are both cost-reflective and competitive within the telecommunications industry, including Wholesale Fibre Study: Commissioning a study to open up existing backbone and future fibre infrastructure on comparable and transparent terms.
Dr. Maida called for collaboration of state governments to support the broadband agenda by fully adopting the Nigerian Governors Forum-approved RoW benchmark,thereby protecting telecom assets and aligning with national standards for fibre deployment.
He noted that the sub-regional government possessed the power and the initiative that can either translate to the advancement or stagnation of their state.
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