The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has identified the judiciary as a foundational pillar in protecting the nation’s digital economy and critical telecommunications infrastructure against a rising tide of cyber threats and physical sabotage.

Speaking at the 2026 Workshop for Judges on Legal Issues in Telecommunications in Lagos on Thursday, NCC Executive Vice Chairman Aminu Maida emphasized that as Nigeria’s dependence on digital services hits record highs, the legal system must be equipped to handle the evolving regulatory and security landscape.

He said 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.

Maida was represented by Ms Rimini Makama, Executive Commissioner Stakeholder Management, NCC.

He said 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.

This, he said, reflects the country’s growing dependence on digital connectivity and online platforms.

According to him, 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.

Maida said 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.

He disclosed that telecommunications operators invested more than one billion dollars in network expansion projects in 2025.

According to him, the operators added thousands of new telecommunications sites to improve nationwide coverage, service quality and digital access across underserved communities.

Maida cautioned that vandalism, fibre cuts, theft, and sabotage continue to threaten telecom infrastructure, posing risks to service reliability, national security, and 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.

He said the NCC is collaborating with security agencies and operators on a nationwide effort that combines asset mapping, advocacy, mediation, and enforcement to safeguard critical telecom infrastructure.

Maida said 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.

He said the NCC introduced the Telecommunications Identity Risk Management System to address rising SIM-related fraud, cybercrime, identity theft and financial scams linked to telecommunications services and subscriber identity abuses.

He said the commission partnered with the Central Bank of Nigeria through a Memorandum of Understanding to tackle electronic fraud and telecom-driven financial crimes affecting consumers and financial institutions.

He said 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 also identified misinformation, hate speech, child exploitation, data privacy breaches and cybersecurity threats as major challenges associated with increasing internet penetration and the wider adoption of digital communication platforms.

The NCC, he said, 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.

Also, 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.

Olorunnimbe said 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.

He expressed confidence that the workshop would strengthen judicial capacity to adjudicate telecommunications-related disputes effectively while supporting innovation, protecting citizens and safeguarding Nigeria’s critical digital infrastructure and broader digital economy. (NAN)