<\/p>\n
Industry leaders have identified important measures to secure telecommunications infrastructures in the country and ensure that investments in the telecoms space are protected.<\/p>\n
They argued that as much as the effective implementation of the Executive Order on the Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) is important, the Order cannot solely guarantee infrastructure safety except certain internal and standardisation issues are first resolved by operators.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the 7th<\/sup>\u00a0Policy Implementation Assisted Forum (PIAFo) Summit on CNII implementation held Thursday in Lagos, the\u00a0industry leaders highlighted pressing issues such as infrastructure vandalism, unauthorized installations, and cable theft, while proposing actionable solutions to safeguard the country\u2019s critical national infrastructure.<\/p>\n Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), stressed the importance of proper infrastructure maintenance and installation to prevent vandalism and theft.<\/p>\n He highlighted the widespread issue of stolen manhole covers and poles, attributing the problem to poor maintenance practices. \u201cWhen properly installed, these components are difficult to remove. However, due to negligence, they are often left unsecured, making them easy targets for theft,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Adebayo also pointed out that community resistance to infrastructure projects has significantly hindered progress. He recounted instances where local communities prevented trucks from accessing sites due to previous unaddressed damages caused by contractors.<\/p>\n \u201cA diesel supplier was blocked from entering an estate because a previous contractor had damaged their property and failed to make repairs. This lack of accountability breeds distrust and delays crucial projects,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n He urged stakeholders to foster better relationships with communities to prevent such conflicts.<\/p>\n Another critical issue Adebayo identified was the unauthorized installation of infrastructure without government approval, leading to inadvertent damage during road construction projects.<\/p>\n \u201cGovernment agencies often damage unregistered infrastructure simply because they were not documented in official records. Proper approvals and collaboration with authorities will ensure accountability and protection of critical infrastructure,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n He called for improved industry coordination to resolve these challenges internally before seeking external solutions that are promised by the CNII provisions.<\/p>\n Echoing these concerns, Tony Emoekpere, President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), emphasised the need for standardisation and better coordination among stakeholders.<\/p>\n Tony Emoekpere<\/p>\n He pointed out that Nigeria\u2019s infrastructure challenges go beyond technical issues, extending into environmental and moral concerns.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are dealing with a moral challenge. An engineer who switched from diesel to gas generators encountered a new problem\u2014workers began stealing engine oil instead, as they could no longer siphon diesel. These issues require both technical and ethical solutions,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n Emoekpere argued that standardisation is the key to long-term sustainability. \u201cIf infrastructure is deployed in a suboptimal manner, failure is inevitable. We need to establish proper standards that all stakeholders\u2014government, private sector, and the public\u2014can align with,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n He also emphasized that Nigeria has strong policies, such as local content policies, but implementation remains a major challenge. \u201cWe must move beyond discussions and focus on actionable steps, follow-ups, and policy enforcement,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The importance of addressing cable theft and vandalism was further stressed by Wale Owoeye, CEO of Cedarview Communications Limited.<\/p>\n He described the alarming frequency of cable cuts, which disrupt network operations and drive up maintenance costs.<\/p>\n Wale Owoeye<\/p>\n \u201cCable theft is a serious issue. Airtel representatives told me they experience a cable cut every six minutes. The assumption that all black cables contain valuable copper leads to reckless vandalism,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n To combat this growing problem, Owoeye proposed three key approaches, including reorientation, enforcement, and proactive measures.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to engage local communities in their native languages, educating them on the consequences of vandalism. Strict legal penalties, including long-term imprisonment, should be enforced to deter offenders,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He also emphasized the need for preventive strategies rather than reactive responses. \u201cPrevention is always more effective and cost-efficient than restoration,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n As a proactive measure, Owoeye proposed the creation of a dedicated fund to support advocacy and awareness campaigns across Nigeria.<\/p>\n To demonstrate his commitment, he pledged to contribute N500,000 quarterly as a seed fund and encouraged other industry players to follow suit.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is like planting a seed. With collective effort, we can grow it into a sustainable solution for protecting Nigeria\u2019s telecom infrastructure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The speakers collectively emphasised that addressing these challenges requires collaboration among industry players, government agencies, and local communities.<\/p>\n They called for a concerted effort to enforce policies, engage stakeholders, and implement practical solutions that will ensure the long-term sustainability of Nigeria\u2019s telecommunication infrastructure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Industry leaders have identified important measures to secure telecommunications infrastructures in the country and ensure that investments in the telecoms space are protected. They argued that as much as the effective implementation of the Executive Order on the Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) is important, the Order cannot solely guarantee […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,366],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-economy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27350\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}