As the telecom industry grapples with the challenge of how to secure its infrastructure and ensure that investments in the telecom space are protected, following the recent Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) status granted it by the Federal Government, the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) has called for an all-stakeholder approach.

NITRA, the umbrella Association for technology reporters in Nigeria, in a statement announcing a joint-industry forum, being organised in collaboration with the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), noted that mere declaration of the CNII order cannot solely guarantee infrastructure safety except certain internal and standardisation issues are first resolved by operators. It further disclosed that the forum will bring stakeholders together to address pertinent issues and questions begging for answers.

Scheduled to hold in Lagos, July 30, 2025, the event, tagged “Industry Sustainability And CNII Conference 2025 – Way Forward” will gather stakeholders to discuss the practical way forward, noting that passage of the Bill along will not achieve desired results.

According to the organisers, questions that stakeholders will provide answers to at the event include: How do we ensure that this law is implemented to the letter? Are there areas worth looking into once more, or is the Bill perfect as it is? What are the roles of each stakeholder in the industry – Federal, States, Operators, Consumers, and other actors? Are individual telecom companies and service providers keying into the CNNI provisions, and how? What are the roles of regulators in ensuring public compliance to the Bill? How do we ensure security?, among others.

Expected at the event are the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, network operators, security agencies, regulators, the media, infrastructure companies and decision makers in private and public firms.

According to a statement from NITRA, “It is a known fact that the Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) is crucial to the survivability of a nation, and that the destruction or disruption of these systems and communication networks would significantly affect the economic strength, image, defense and security, government capabilities to function, and public health and safety.”

Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, had in a forum stressed the importance of proper infrastructure maintenance and tech-upgraded installation to prevent vandalism and theft.

Chairman of NITRA, Chike Onwuegbuchi, spoke of the importance of the Industry Sustainability and CNII Conference, noting that industry stakeholders need to come around a table to broker an understanding on how to secure telecom infrastructure, standing on FG’s proclamation of CNII.