By 
By Osasómé C.O
The Nigerian government has officially signed the ‘Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure Order, 2024.’ This milestone was announced by Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, on Wednesday via his LinkedIn page.
RELATED: Tijani says ministry working to make telecom critical national infrastructure
Tijani expressed his gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the release of the official gazette.
Significant step to protect ICT investments
He posted: “This is a significant step that will strengthen and protect investments in the ICT sector by reducing incidences capable of damaging the operations and functionality of our technological systems, infrastructure, and networks.”
Tijani emphasised the importance of safeguarding these Critical National Information Infrastructures (CNII) as a priority for the administration. He noted that this will enhance the quality of telecom services. Quality of service has frequently been disrupted by vandalism and intentional damage.
Gazette makes it an offense to willfully damage telecom assets
“This gazette now makes it an offense to willfully damage assets such as telco towers/sites, switch stations, data centers, satellite infrastructure, submarine & fiber optic cables, transmission equipment, e-government platforms, databases, among others,” he added.
The minister highlighted the government’s ongoing commitment to creating a supportive environment and policies that will allow Nigeria’s digital economy to thrive.
The journey to this landmark decision has been long for the Nigerian telecom sector. On January 30, 2020, former President Muhammadu Buhari had announced plans for an Executive Order on Critical National Infrastructure to protect telecommunications infrastructures from vandalism and abuse.
However, the process was never completed.
Last December, Dr. Tijani reaffirmed his ministry’s commitment to designating telecommunication infrastructure as “critical national infrastructure.”
He said this was necessary to protect sector investors and ensure a seamless quality of service. This renewed focus came amidst rising concerns within the industry over increasing cases of infrastructure vandalization.
Stakeholders welcome Order ,want swift action on Critical Infrastructure Bill
Stakeholders welcomed this development. But they are urging for swift action on the Critical Infrastructure Bill. The bill failed to pass in the 8th Assembly in 2019 and has remained unaddressed since.
The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) and the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) have consistently advocated for the bill’s passage.
The associations argued that the bill safeguard Nigeria’s rapidly growing telecom industry from potential collapse due to vandalism and the actions of unscrupulous state agents.
“Nigerian cannot afford not to put in place all the building blocks to address the current challenges in the area of critical national infrastructure, monuments, and business assets. The time has come to sign and give effects to all pending bills and policies necessary to secure the assets of Nigeria,” former President, ATCON, Ikechukwu Nnamani told IT Edge News.
