As part of efforts to ensure that telecommunications networks are resilience across the country bearing in mind that it cannot work in isolation, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), said it is deepening cross- sector collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN)and other organisations.
The Executive Vice Chairman/ CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, while delivering a paper titled, Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) and Building Industry Resilience as a Crucial Component of the Commission’s Contribution to Achieving a $1 Trillion Economy”
According to him, “We are collaborating with Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to safeguard mobile banking and cashless transactions.Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs), to strengthen power supply to telecom sites. State governments and communities, to secure fibre and towers under the CNII Presidential Order.”
On redundancy by design, Maida informed that NCC is encouraging multiple fibre routes, diverse interconnections, and stronger Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) that a single cut or outage does not cripple national services.
He pointed out that through these efforts, the NCC is building an environment where telecom networks are not only protected but also resilient prepared for emergencies, able to recover quickly, and designed to ensure continuity of service in the face of any disruption.
He said that for Nigeria to succeed, Nigerians must treat CNII resilience as a strategic economic priority.
The Federal Government, he said must prioritise CNII protection in national defence and infrastructure planning.
• Security agencies must treat telecom assets with the same urgency as oil pipelines or power grids.
He called on industry operators to invest in redundancy and joint monitoring and to go beyond siloed approaches.
For the Communities, Maida advised them to see telecom assets in their vicinity as lifelines that must be guarded just like their own homes and not as targets.
This initiative with the communities, he explained is not theory; but that it is already in motion.
He hinted that just last week, the NCC and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) hosted a two-day Business Roundtable on Improving Investments in Broadband Connectivity and Safeguarding CNII and that the forum with support from partners such as the World Bank, has set a new tone for collaboration between federal, state, and industry stakeholders.
The Executive Vice Chairman / CEO of NCC asserted that the time for half-measures has passed and that protecting CNII is not only about keeping the internet on but also about powering the trillion-dollar economy Nigeria aspire to build as a country.
He reiterated that NCC is committed to driving this economic vision for the country but that commitment must be matched with collaboration.
He said the commitment of NCC coupled with government’s support, industry innovation, security vigilance, and community participation Nigeria’s digital backbone will be secured and protected and by this commitment lay the foundation for sustainable growth.
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