The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that the judiciary is critical to protecting the nation’s digital economy, telecommunications infrastructure and online ecosystem from escalating cyber and security threats.
The Commission also said that it has reviewed the Internet Code of Practice to strengthen responsible internet governance while maintaining an appropriate balance between encouraging innovation, investment opportunities and protecting vulnerable citizens from online harms.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Aminu Maida, who stated these at the 2026 Workshop for Judges on Legal Issues in Telecommunications held in Lagos on Thursday, May 14, 2026, said that vandalism, fibre cuts, theft, and sabotage continue to threaten telecom infrastructure, thereby posing serious risks to service reliability, national security, and confidence in Nigeria’s digital economy.
He noted that Nigeria’s digital economy is scaling up quickly, with growth in digital payments, e-commerce, startups, and tech-driven literacy programmes helping to deepen economic inclusion and widen access to digital services.
The EVC who was represented by Ms Rimini Makama, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, stated that Nigerians consumed more than 1.42 million terabytes of data in March 2026, compared with 995,000 terabytes recorded within the corresponding period of 2025.
Maida further said that daily data use has risen to roughly 15 million hours of high-definition video streaming, compared to 10.7 million hours recorded a year earlier, adding that the development reflects the country’s growing dependence on digital connectivity and online platforms, saying that
He also said that broadband penetration climbed to 54.3 per cent in 2026 from 47.7 per cent a year earlier, expanding access to faster and more reliable internet across Nigeria.
The NCC boss also said that telecommunications operators invested more than one billion dollars in network expansion projects in 2025, saying that operators added thousands of new telecommunications sites to improve nationwide coverage, service quality and digital access across underserved communities.
Maida stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu 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.
The EVC announced that the commission is collaborating with security agencies and operators on a nationwide effort that combines asset mapping, advocacy, mediation, and enforcement to safeguard critical telecom infrastructure.
According to Maida; “The commission’s collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser had already disrupted criminal syndicates involved in the theft, vandalism and illegal resale of telecommunications infrastructure and network equipment nationwide.
“The commission would expand collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, National Identity Management Commission, and other agencies to fight cybercrime, protecting legitimate telecom subscribers and digital consumers nationwide,” he said.
Maida specifically noted that misinformation, hate speech, child exploitation, data privacy breaches and cybersecurity threats are major challenges associated with increasing internet penetration and the wider adoption of digital communication platforms.
Speaking in turn, the Chairman of the NCC Governing Board, Idris Olorunnimbe, said digital technologies had significantly transformed governance, commerce, security systems and social interactions across modern societies and economies globally.
He stressed that issues surrounding cybersecurity, online harms, infrastructure protection, artificial intelligence and consumer rights required stronger institutional collaboration and improved judicial understanding of Nigeria’s evolving digital and telecommunications regulatory environment.
Olorunnmbe expressed confidence that the workshop would strengthen judicial capacity to effectively adjudicate on telecommunications related disputes while at the same time supporting innovation, protection of citizens and safeguarding Nigeria’s critical digital infrastructure and broader digital economy.
