Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has signed an official order making it a criminal offense to damage telecommunications infrastructure in the country. The announcement was made on August 21 by Bosun Tijani, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, through a post on X.
The new measure criminalizes intentional damage to assets such as telecom towers, switching stations, data centers, satellite infrastructure, underwater and fiber optic cables, transmission equipment, e-government platforms, and databases, among others.
This move addresses the frequent complaints from Nigerian telecom operators about the negative impact of increased vandalism on their operations. Between 2019 and 2023, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) recorded over 50,000 significant damages to telecom infrastructure. In 2022 and 2023 alone, there were 59,000 cases of fiber optic cable cuts, requiring an investment of 14 billion naira (about $8.9 million) for repairs.
According to the minister, this new ordinance aims to strengthen and protect investments in the ICT sector by reducing incidents that could harm technological operations, infrastructure, and networks. It will also allow telecom operators to focus their investments on improving service quality and expanding network coverage.
Absa Kenya hires M-PESA’s Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, signalling a shift from branch banking to a telecom-s...
Ziidi Trader enables NSE share trading via M-Pesa M-Pesa revenue rose 15.2% to 161.1 billio...
MTN Group has no official presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the mobile market is d...
Ghana has 50,000 tonnes unsold cocoa at ports Cocoa prices fell from $13,000 to around ...
This week in Africa, Africa CDC is stepping up its drive for health sovereignty, building new partne...
The fast-growing installment payment market is set to expand sharply across the continent, even as stricter licensing and compliance rules reshape...
Egypt to invest $4 billion upgrading six refineries Plan aims to boost capacity, cut fuel imports Output lags 840,000 bpd capacity, driving...
The federal government signed a memorandum on Feb. 16, 2026 to establish Medipool as a national group purchasing organization for...
Liberia expects to finalize a revised mining code within three months, according to Mines Minister Matenokay Tingban. The government plans to allow a...
“Dao” ranks among the three films in official competition at the 76th Berlinale and marks Alain Gomis’ second bid for the Golden Bear. The film...
Fort Jesus is a fortress located in Mombasa, on Kenya’s coastline, at the entrance to the natural harbor that long made the city a hub of trade in the...