Nigeria to Criminalise Fiber Cable Damage Costing Telecoms Billions
- Regulation will mainly target construction companies
- Presidential order will impose strict penalties on defaulters
An MTN Group Ltd. roadside kiosk in Lagos.
Photographer: Tom Saater/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Nigeria will criminalize the destruction of broadband fiber cables following repeated complaints by MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and other telecommunications companies that they are losing billions of naira, according to people familiar with the matter.
Nigeria’s works ministry, which supervises federal road constructors, is finalizing the regulation that will be signed as an executive order by President Bola Tinubu, said the people, asking not to be identified as they weren’t authorized to comment. While there are presently laws against vandalism, the authorities are aiming to regulate construction firms more closely.