The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said the judiciary plays a critical role in protecting Nigeria’s digital economy, telecommunications infrastructure and online ecosystem from growing cyber and security threats.
Executive Vice Chairman of the commission, Aminu Maida, stated this on Thursday at the 2026 Workshop for Judges on Legal Issues in Telecommunications held in Lagos.
Maida, who was represented by Ms Rimini Makama, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management at the NCC, said Nigeria’s digital economy was expanding rapidly, driven by growth in digital payments, e-commerce, startups and technology-driven literacy programmes aimed at deepening economic inclusion and access to digital services.
According to him, Nigerians consumed more than 1.42 million terabytes of data in March 2026, compared with 995,000 terabytes recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.
He said the increase reflected the country’s growing dependence on digital connectivity and online platforms.
Maida added that daily data usage had risen to approximately 15 million hours of high-definition video streaming, up from 10.7 million hours recorded a year earlier.
He disclosed that broadband penetration rose to 54.3 per cent in 2026 from 47.7 per cent in 2025, resulting in wider access to faster and more reliable internet services across the country.
According to him, telecommunications operators invested over one billion dollars in network expansion projects in 2025, adding thousands of new telecom sites to improve nationwide coverage, service quality and connectivity in underserved communities.
However, he warned that vandalism, fibre cuts, theft and sabotage remained major threats to telecommunications infrastructure, with implications for service reliability, national security and investor confidence in Nigeria’s digital economy.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had designated telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure, requiring stronger protection from government institutions, security agencies, industry operators and citizens because of its strategic national importance,” he said.
Maida explained that the NCC was working with security agencies and telecom operators on a nationwide initiative involving asset mapping, advocacy, mediation and enforcement to protect critical telecommunications infrastructure.
He further revealed that the commission’s partnership with the Office of the National Security Adviser had disrupted criminal syndicates involved in the theft, vandalism and illegal resale of telecom infrastructure and equipment across the country.
The NCC boss also said the commission introduced the Telecommunications Identity Risk Management System to address increasing SIM-related fraud, cybercrime, identity theft and financial scams linked to telecommunications services.
According to him, the NCC had partnered with the Central Bank of Nigeria through a Memorandum of Understanding to tackle electronic fraud and telecom-related financial crimes affecting consumers and financial institutions.
He added that the commission would deepen collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the National Identity Management Commission and other relevant agencies to combat cybercrime and protect telecom subscribers nationwide.
Maida also identified misinformation, hate speech, child exploitation, data privacy breaches and cybersecurity threats as key challenges associated with rising internet penetration and wider adoption of digital communication platforms.
He said the NCC had reviewed the Internet Code of Practice to strengthen responsible internet governance while balancing innovation, investment opportunities and the protection of vulnerable citizens from online harms.
Also speaking, Chairman of the NCC Governing Board, Idris Olorunnimbe, said digital technologies had transformed governance, commerce, security systems and social interactions globally.
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Olorunnimbe noted that issues relating to cybersecurity, online harms, infrastructure protection, artificial intelligence and consumer rights required stronger institutional collaboration and improved judicial understanding of Nigeria’s evolving telecommunications regulatory landscape.
He expressed confidence that the workshop would strengthen the judiciary’s capacity to effectively adjudicate telecommunications disputes while supporting innovation, protecting citizens and safeguarding Nigeria’s digital infrastructure and broader digital economy.
