Stakeholders Insist On CNII Enforcement As 33 Network Outages Hit Nigeria In May

Telecommunications stakeholders are intensifying calls for the urgent implementation of Nigeria’s Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) framework, following a worrying spike in major network outages across the country in May 2025.

According to data obtained from Uptime, the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) major outage reporting portal, 33 significant service disruptions were recorded across Nigeria’s four major telecom operators: MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile, in May 2025.

The outages, largely driven by fibre-optic cable cuts, vandalism, and power failures, impacted millions of subscribers and underscored the vulnerability of the nation’s digital infrastructure.

Globacom and 9mobile were the worst hit, with 13 and 11 recorded outages respectively, primarily due to fibre cuts and power-related issues in critical urban areas including Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, and the Federal Capital Territory.

MTN and Airtel recorded five and four incidents respectively, with disruptions traced to cable damage and vandalism in states such as Benue, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, and Abia.

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The service disruptions resulted in dropped calls, sluggish data services, and total blackouts in some areas, prompting widespread dissatisfaction among consumers and heightened concern among industry stakeholders.

These outages are not only inconveniencing users but are also costing operators billions of naira in repairs and revenue losses. A Bloomberg estimate places the industry’s 2023 losses at N27 billion due to damaged fibre infrastructure alone. May 2025’s outages are expected to further inflate that figure.

In a recent stakeholder engagement in Lagos, MTN Nigeria’s chief corporate services and sustainability officer, Tobechukwu Okigbo, highlighted the gravity of the situation, saying, “Every network downtime costs operators significant revenue. Fibre cuts, vandalism, and power failures aren’t just technical hiccups; they are expensive setbacks that erode trust in our networks and drain resources.”

The situation is exacerbated by the growing scale of infrastructure damage. In March, NCC executive vice chairman Aminu Maida revealed that over 50,000 fibre cuts were recorded nationwide in 2024, with 30,000 attributed to road construction activities. Lagos alone accounted for more than 2,500 cuts, costing operators approximately N5 billion last year.

In response to the rising threats, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the ‘Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure Order, 2024’ on June 24, which classifies key ICT systems, networks, and infrastructure as critical national assets requiring special protection.

While stakeholders welcomed the executive order, they stressed that enforcement and implementation remain key challenges.

Director of Legal (Global and Regional Business Affairs) at Equinix, Abayomi Adebanjo, warned that without clear enforcement protocols, the CNII designation may not yield the desired protection.

“We need stricter security, both physically and digitally. Persistent cable theft and legal bottlenecks in prosecuting offenders are major deterrents to investment in Nigeria’s digital economy,” Adebanjo said.

As digital connectivity becomes increasingly critical to national life, from banking and education to security and emergency services, the urgency to implement CNII protections has never been more pressing.

Adebanjo added that without a centralised protection strategy, telecom infrastructure would remain highly exposed to both physical sabotage and cyber threats.

To mitigate these challenges, telecom executives are advocating for the introduction of a Fibre Protection Framework, which would centralise regulation, enable real-time monitoring of cable integrity, and impose strict penalties on offenders. They argue that such a framework is vital for shielding telecom assets from both intentional attacks and collateral damage from construction projects.

For stakeholders, protecting ICT infrastructure isn’t just about connectivity, it is also about national security and economic growth.

Convener of PIAFo, Omobayo Azeez, warned that Nigeria’s ambition to transition into a $1 trillion digital economy could falter if infrastructure protection is not prioritised.

While the executive order marks a significant policy milestone, stakeholders say concrete implementation and cross-sector collaboration are crucial. Only then can Nigeria secure the foundations of its digital economy and prevent further service breakdowns.

“We cannot attract investment in data centers and cloud services without stable, secure infrastructure. Government must work with industry players to safeguard our digital future,” Azeez said.