Nigeria issues new order to protect national information infrastructure

•Telcos, subscribers commend FG, say will enhance telephony services
Unauthorised access to telecommunications and other critical national infrastructure sites in the country has been banned as the Federal Government has finally gazetted the ‘Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure Order 2024’.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, disclosed this yesterday.

Disclosing this via his X handle, Tijani wrote: “I would like to thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the release of the official gazette, ‘Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure Order 2024.”

According to the minister, the significant step will strengthen and protect investments in the ICT sector by reducing incidents capable of damaging the operations and functionality of our technological systems, infrastructure and networks.

He noted that the security and protection of the Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) is a priority for the current administration and will help improve the quality of telecoms services, which has often been affected by disruption and intentional damage.

He said the gazette now makes it an offence to purposefully damage assets such as telco towers/sites, switch stations, data centres, satellite infrastructure, submarine and fibre optic cables, transmission equipment, e-government platforms and databases.

The development comes over two decades after the telecoms revolution began in Nigeria. The bill has been put up for consideration since the seventh Senate.

Speaking on the development, the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, said the industry is excited about the news.

Appreciating Tinubu, Tijani and Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, Adebayo said the bill would support and protect critical national infrastructure, “whether from willful damage and agents shutting down the sites on the account of IGR drive and collection, that will stop”.

According to him, it means there are consequences for certain actions that impact service delivery. He said the coming is a good time, especially as the talks for industry sustainability have become a major discussion in the country.

The ALTON chairman said people, who damaged communications infrastructure without consequences will now face consequences for their actions. “It will be a major deterrent for people, who are against the will of progress and largely, money spent on repairs of vandalised infrastructure by telcos can now be deployed into network expansion and stability.”

Also, the President of the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers of Nigeria (NATCOMS), Deolu Ogunbanjo, commended the minister for getting it through.

According to him, since President Olusegun Obasanjo made the way for the establishment of GSM, “stakeholders have clamoured for major protection of these facilities. The bill for the protection of the industry has been on since the seventh Senate. But we thank the current regime for getting this through. It is a win for the sector”.

Ogunbanjo said telecoms sites are now no-go areas for terrorists, bandits, government agents and others, who always threaten to shut down the grid, which subsequently affects also the telecoms operators.