Hunjo On The Infrastructure Behind Nigeria’s Data Boom, Says “Our Lives Depend On It”

Telecommunications analyst and legal practitioner, Barnabas Hunjo, has described Nigeria’s expanding telecommunications infrastructure as increasingly central to economic activity, warning that the country’s growing dependence on data and digital services makes protection of the underlying networks a matter of national importance.

Speaking during an economic discussion, Hunjo said the significance of telecommunications infrastructure could no longer be measured simply by the number of calls made or data consumed, as connectivity now underpins a wide range of economic and social activities.

“When we talk about telecommunications infrastructure, we have to understand that modern economies depend heavily on connectivity,” he said.

“From the use of the POS, the ATM, banking, internet, port operations, aviation, virtually everything we do now, every business, is heavily reliant on connectivity.”

His comments come against the backdrop of a sharp increase in Nigeria’s data consumption, with figures from the Nigerian Communications Commission showing that monthly internet usage reached a record 1.66 million terabytes in July 2026.

Data consumption rose from 1.50 million TB in May to 1.53 million TB in June before reaching 1.662 million TB in July. Between January and July, total consumption stood at about 10.18 million TB, compared with 7.09 million TB during the corresponding period of 2025.

The growth reflects a broader shift in how Nigerians work, trade, communicate and access services, while placing increasing demands on the fibre networks, transmission systems, base stations and other infrastructure required to move that data.

Hunjo said the implications extend into national security because the same infrastructure supporting commercial activity is also increasingly embedded in the functioning of critical services.

“This infrastructure also plays very, very important role in protecting or safeguarding our national security,” he said. “So protecting them is very, very important to safety and security of lives and property, and also ensuring that businesses continue to operate without interruption.”

The scale of the dependence has also been highlighted by the NCC, which recently described communications infrastructure as a “critical national lifeline” supporting banking, government services, education, healthcare, commerce, security and emergency communications.

The regulator disclosed that more than 5,000 fibre-cut incidents occurred in the first six months of 2026, with road construction, excavation and related civil works among the causes.

A separate disclosure by the Office of the National Security Adviser put the number of fibre-optic cuts at 5,934 during the same period, averaging about 65 incidents a day. The number rose from 1,883 in the first quarter to 4,051 in the second quarter.

The ONSA has also warned that the consequences of fibre damage extend beyond temporary network disruption because fibre networks support banking transactions, electronic payments, POS terminals, fintech platforms, logistics, hospitals, businesses and other essential services.

For Hunjo, the growing dependence makes coordination between government, network operators and the public increasingly important.

He said government needed to establish clearer responsibilities for protecting critical infrastructure and responding rapidly when threats occur.

“We need to come up —the government needs to lead now and come up with a breakdown of who does what, and how do we respond quickly to threats affecting this critical infrastructure,” he said.

He also called for greater public involvement, arguing that communities and users have a role to play in identifying and reporting threats to infrastructure on which their own economic activities increasingly depend.

“As for the people, we cannot keep quiet. We must also understand that our lives depend, our businesses, virtually like they say, data is life,” Hunjo said.

His argument is increasingly reflected in the infrastructure challenge facing the industry.

As data usage expands, maintaining capacity is no longer simply an issue for telecommunications operators; it also involves the protection of physical infrastructure from vandalism, accidental damage, road construction and other disruptions.

The NCC has said telecommunications infrastructure has been designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure, while a government standing committee involving relevant ministries and security stakeholders is working on mechanisms for protecting fibre-optic infrastructure during road construction and other excavation activities.

Hunjo said the country already has laws capable of dealing with threats to the infrastructure, making implementation and enforcement more important than creating additional legislation.

“We have enough laws to handle this situation,” he said. “And the problem will not be about whether the laws are there or not; it’s about how the government institutions respond to these laws.”

He added that effective enforcement must begin with detection, noting that threats that are not identified cannot be properly investigated or prosecuted.

The infrastructure challenge is occurring alongside continued investment in network capacity.

The NCC’s latest figures also show that fixed fibre subscriptions increased to 319,735 in the second quarter of 2026 from 241,750 in the first quarter, indicating growing demand for fibre-based connectivity.

For Hunjo, operators themselves must also work collectively with government to protect the infrastructure supporting the country’s expanding digital economy.

“My charge to them is to work together, and also work with the government,” he said, urging operators to harmonise resources and encourage government agencies to move faster in defining responsibilities around critical infrastructure.

With data consumption continuing to rise and more economic activity moving onto digital platforms, the infrastructure carrying Nigeria’s connectivity is increasingly becoming infrastructure for commerce, public services and everyday life.

As Hunjo put it, “our lives depend” on it.