Telecom
Telecom Experts Call for Action to Combat Vandalism and Protect Nigeria’s Critical Infrastructure
Industry leaders have identified important measures to secure telecommunications infrastructures in the country and ensure that investments in the telecoms space are protected.
L-r: Associate Director, Government Relations, IHS Nigeria, Bond Abbe; Co-founder, Infratel Africa, Dr. Tola Yusuf; Group Chief Operating Officer, WTES Projects Limited, Chidi Ajuzie; President, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Tony Emoekpere; National Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON); Engr. Gbenga Adebayo; and Convener, Policy Implementation Assisted Forum (PIAFo), Omobayo Azeez at the seventh edition of PIAFo on Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) Order Implementation held on Thursday in Lagos.
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.
Speaking at the 7th Policy Implementation Assisted Forum (PIAFo) Summit on CNII implementation held Thursday in Lagos, the industry leaders highlighted pressing issues such as infrastructure vandalism, unauthorized installations, and cable theft, while proposing actionable solutions to safeguard the country’s critical national infrastructure.
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.
He highlighted the widespread issue of stolen manhole covers and poles, attributing the problem to poor maintenance practices. “When properly installed, these components are difficult to remove. However, due to negligence, they are often left unsecured, making them easy targets for theft,” he said.
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.
“A 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,” he explained.
He urged stakeholders to foster better relationships with communities to prevent such conflicts.
Another critical issue Adebayo identified was the unauthorized installation of infrastructure without government approval, leading to inadvertent damage during road construction projects.
“Government 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,” he noted.
He called for improved industry coordination to resolve these challenges internally before seeking external solutions that are promised by the CNII provisions.
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.
He pointed out that Nigeria’s infrastructure challenges go beyond technical issues, extending into environmental and moral concerns.
“We are dealing with a moral challenge. An engineer who switched from diesel to gas generators encountered a new problem—workers began stealing engine oil instead, as they could no longer siphon diesel. These issues require both technical and ethical solutions,” he explained.
Emoekpere argued that standardisation is the key to long-term sustainability. “If infrastructure is deployed in a suboptimal manner, failure is inevitable. We need to establish proper standards that all stakeholders—government, private sector, and the public—can align with,” he stated.
He also emphasized that Nigeria has strong policies, such as local content policies, but implementation remains a major challenge. “We must move beyond discussions and focus on actionable steps, follow-ups, and policy enforcement,” he added.
The importance of addressing cable theft and vandalism was further stressed by Wale Owoeye, CEO of Cedarview Communications Limited.
He described the alarming frequency of cable cuts, which disrupt network operations and drive up maintenance costs.
“Cable 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,” he explained.
To combat this growing problem, Owoeye proposed three key approaches, including reorientation, enforcement, and proactive measures.
“We 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,” he said.
He also emphasized the need for preventive strategies rather than reactive responses. “Prevention is always more effective and cost-efficient than restoration,” he noted.
As a proactive measure, Owoeye proposed the creation of a dedicated fund to support advocacy and awareness campaigns across Nigeria.
To demonstrate his commitment, he pledged to contribute N500,000 quarterly as a seed fund and encouraged other industry players to follow suit.
“This is like planting a seed. With collective effort, we can grow it into a sustainable solution for protecting Nigeria’s telecom infrastructure,” he said.
The speakers collectively emphasised that addressing these challenges requires collaboration among industry players, government agencies, and local communities.
They called for a concerted effort to enforce policies, engage stakeholders, and implement practical solutions that will ensure the long-term sustainability of Nigeria’s telecommunication infrastructure.
Telecom
UniCloud Africa, Open Access Data Centres Announce Strategic Partnership to Strengthen Digital Sovereignty Across Africa
UniCloud Africa (UCA), the premier pan-African sovereign cloud platform, and Open Access Data Centres (OADC), one of the leading data centre companies in Africa, and Africa’s fastest-growing data centre company, are pleased to announce a strategic partnership to accelerate Africa’s digital transformation and independence.
Under this partnership, UniCloud Africa will host its enterprise-grade sovereign cloud and Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure within OADC’s world-class, carrier-neutral facilities in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa. This collaboration establishes a robust, localised foundation for governments and enterprises to modernise their operations while ensuring absolute data residency and regulatory compliance.
Advancing the “One Cloud, One Africa” Vision
The partnership aligns with UniCloud Africa’s “One Cloud, One Africa” strategy, which seeks to eliminate the high-latency and compliance risks associated with offshore cloud providers. By utilizing OADC’s Tier-III certified infrastructure, UniCloud Africa provides a high-performance environment for mission-critical workloads, supported by a contractual Tier-III certified uptime SLA.
“Our mission is to provide the definitive foundation for Africa’s digital and economic independence,” said Dr. Krish Ranganath, CEO of UniCloud Africa. “By hosting our sovereign infrastructure within OADC’s world-class facilities, we are ensuring that African data remains on African soil. This partnership empowers our clients with low-latency access, local currency billing, and the security of ISO-certified, in-country data management that is tailor-made for the continent’s unique requirements.”
A Multi-Market Digital Backbone
OADC’s extensive footprint provides UniCloud Africa with the scale needed to serve key economic hubs:
- Nigeria: Leveraging OADC Lagos’s campus to support the country’s booming fintech and enterprise sectors
- DRC: Providing much-needed local cloud capacity in Kinshasa to drive the nation’s digital acceleration
- South Africa: Utilising OADC’s expanded national footprint and distributed scale to deliver resilient, geographically separated primary and disaster recovery solutions
“We firmly believe that fully localised cloud infrastructure is critical for economic growth and Africa’s digital future,” added Dr Ayotunde Coker, CEO of OADC. “OADC is committed to providing the essential building blocks for a truly unified African digital ecosystem. Partnering with UniCloud Africa allows us to support a platform that is driving the next wave of innovation, from AI acceleration to cost-predictability.”
Empowering the Next Wave of Innovation
Beyond standard infrastructure, the partnership will support the deployment of UniCloud’s GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS), enabling local organisations to harness the power of AI, Machine Learning, and Big Data at scale. With zero data egress fees and billing in local currencies, the collaboration removes the financial barriers often posed by global cloud giants.
ipNX, has once again emphasized the need for stronger collaboration among telecommunications operators, enhanced government support, and critical infrastructure reforms to drive sustainable growth in Nigeria’s telecom sector.
This call was made by ipNX’s Divisional CEO, IpNX Business, Oluseyi Lala, at the recently concluded Nigeria Telecoms Forum held on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos. The forum brought together senior telecom executives, infrastructure providers, operators, investors, telco associations, and industry professionals.
Speaking during a panel session titled “Securing the Digital Backbone: Cyber Resilience and Data Protection in the Age of 5G and Cloud,” Lala highlighted the growing importance of cybersecurity in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving telecom landscape. As the industry embraces advanced technologies such as 5G and cloud computing, he stressed that safeguarding digital infrastructure must remain a top priority.
He emphasized that cybersecurity is a shared responsibility across the ecosystem, warning against the common assumption that vendors or infrastructure providers have already guaranteed system-wide protection. According to him, this mindset creates vulnerabilities, as effective security depends on coordinated vigilance and accountability from all stakeholders.
“Cybersecurity is no longer optional, it is fundamental to the sustainability of our industry. A unified and coordinated approach to threat detection and response will significantly enhance our ability to protect critical telecom infrastructure,” Lala said.
He further noted that collaboration among operators, regulators, and security agencies is essential to effectively mitigate risks and ensure service continuity. Lala also commended the Federal Government, particularly through the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), for establishing a committee dedicated to responding to cyber threats within the sector.
Beyond cybersecurity, discussions at the forum highlighted a pressing structural challenge: power supply. Industry stakeholders called for a state of emergency on power, describing it as a critical enabler for telecom growth. Reliable electricity remains fundamental to network expansion, service quality, and cost efficiency, with operators continuing to bear the heavy burden of self-generation.
The forum also explored the financial realities facing telecom operators, particularly in light of recent currency devaluation. Participants stressed the need for companies to adopt more robust and transparent business models to attract long-term capital. The volatility of the naira has made multilateral institutions, including organizations such as the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), more cautious about extending long-term financing to the sector.
To address this, stakeholders pointed to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies as a critical lever. Embracing ESG principles was identified as a “winning play” for telecom companies, not only enhancing brand credibility but also improving access to green funds and attracting foreign investment increasingly tied to sustainability benchmarks.
Jamiu Ijaodola, convener of the Nigeria Telecoms Forum, underscored the importance of collaboration in tackling these multifaceted challenges.
“The telecom sector is at a pivotal point where collaboration is no longer a choice but a necessity. Forums like this provide an opportunity for stakeholders to align priorities, share insights, and collectively build a more secure, resilient, and future-ready digital ecosystem for Nigeria,” he said.
In addition, discussions reinforced the need for an enabling regulatory environment that supports infrastructure investment, innovation, and long-term sector stability, in alignment with Nigeria’s broader digital transformation goals.
ipNX reaffirmed its commitment to driving industry collaboration and advocating for policies that support sustainable growth. With stronger partnerships between operators, investors, and government institutions—and urgent attention to power, capital access, and cybersecurity, Nigeria’s telecom sector is well-positioned to achieve greater resilience, improved service delivery, and expanded digital access nationwide.
United Kingdom’s communications regulator, Ofcom, has opened an investigation into Telegram over concerns relating to the spread of child sexual abuse material on the platform.
Ofcom said it had reviewed available evidence and would assess whether Telegram has failed, or is failing, to meet its legal obligations on illegal content under the Online Safety Act 2023.
The regulator noted that the law requires online platforms to minimise risks associated with illegal content and take swift action when such material is identified. It added that companies must demonstrate compliance with these responsibilities or face enforcement measures.
The investigation comes amid growing scrutiny of online platforms operating in the UK, as authorities push for stronger protections for children in digital spaces.
In response, Telegram denied the allegations, stating it “categorically” rejects the claims. The company said it has, since 2018, “virtually eliminated” the public spread of such material through the use of detection algorithms.
Telegram also expressed concern over the probe, suggesting it could be part of broader pressure on platforms that prioritise privacy and freedom of expression.
Ofcom has also launched separate investigations into Teen Chat and Chat Avenue, saying it is not satisfied that both platforms are doing enough to protect children from grooming risks.
Ms Suzanne Cater, Ofcom’s Director of Enforcement, said firms must strengthen safeguards or face serious consequences under the law.
“These firms must do more to protect children, or face serious consequences under the Online Safety Act,” she said.
The probe comes as the government of Keir Starmer intensifies efforts to enforce stricter online safety standards, particularly for younger users.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek reports that Telegram has faced similar regulatory action in other jurisdictions. In February, Australia’s online safety regulator fined the company over delays in responding to inquiries regarding measures against child abuse and extremist content.
The Online Safety Act 2023 is widely regarded as one of the most stringent internet safety frameworks globally, placing direct responsibility on digital platforms to address illegal and harmful content or risk sanctions.
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