FG lists power, 12 others as critical infrastructure

The Federal Government has designated infrastructure in 13 key sectors as critical national infrastructure that must not be in any way tampered with.

These sectors include power and energy, water, information, communications and science and technology, Banking, finance and insurance, health, public administration, Education, defence and security, transport, food and agriculture, emergency services, industrial and manufacturing and Mines and Steel.

It also listed the grid substation, transmission base, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System, the Bank Verification Number, and the National Identification Number databases as critical services infrastructure.

This is contained in the ‘Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure Order, 2024’, an official gazette recently signed by President Bola Tinubu.

The designation means that anyone who attacks any infrastructure listed in the gazette commits an offence and is liable to prosecution.

Recall that the civil servants under the Nigerian Labour Congress shut down the national grid in June 2024 as part of a nationwide industrial action to protest against the N60,000 minimum wage proposal of the Federal Government.

Tinubu said the objective of this order is to develop cohesive measures and strategies for the security and protection of these critical infrastructures and ensure their continued operation.

The gazette read in part, “The objectives of this order are to designate certain Information and Communications Technology systems, networks and infrastructure operating in Nigeria, as Critical National Information Infrastructure.”

It will also develop cohesive measures and strategies for the security and protection of CNII, ensure their continued operation and adopt a proactive and holistic approach to the identification, security and protection of CNII.

Tinubu noted that the order will reduce to the barest minimum, incidences capable of damaging, disrupting, or interfering with the operation, functionality, or integrity of CNII, “and ensure the effective functioning of ICT systems, networks, and infrastructure, which are critical to driving national imperatives, economic development, national security and defence, public health and safety, and government operations.”

In addition, the gazetted document also listed all other electronic payment gateways in the country and the Treasury Single Account database are critical infrastructure that must not be tampered with by anyone.

Some of the listed infrastructure also includes the Ajaokuta Steel Company ICT infrastructure, National Fiber network, submarine cables, SIM card registration database, Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, E-passport database, Inmates database, and voters register database, among others.

According to the Gazette, the office of the National Security Adviser will implement measures to prevent unauthorised access, disclosure, theft, vandalism, destruction and unlawful interference with critical infrastructure.

“Any person, who without authorisation, and for fraudulent purposes, accesses in whole or in part, or tampers with any CNII intentionally, or for fraudulent purposes, does an act, which, directly or indirectly, hinders or interferes with the performance or functioning commits an unlawful act against any CNII and is liable to such penalties as may be prescribed in Part of the Act.”

Earlier this week, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, who first announced the release of the gazette, described it as a significant step that would strengthen and protect investments in the ICT sector by reducing incidences capable of damaging the operations and functionality of the country’s technological systems, infrastructure, and networks.

Specifically, the Minister was elated by the designation of all telecom infrastructure in the country as CNII, noting that this would help improve the quality of telecom services, which have often been affected by disruption and intentional damage.

“This gazette now makes it an offence to wilfully damage assets such as telco towers/sites, switch stations, data centres, satellite infrastructure, submarine & fibre optic cables, transmission equipment, e-government platforms, databases among many others,” he said.

Over the years, stakeholders in the Nigerian ICT sector have been calling on the government to designate telecom infrastructure as a critical national asset to address the persistent attacks on the infrastructure across the country.

In March this year, the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, Gbenga Adebayo, reiterated the call as Nigeria suffered an internet outage due to damage to some fibre optic cables.

In 2023 alone, MTN Nigeria said it suffered more than 6,000 cuts on its fibre cable.

The operator relocated 2,500 kilometres of vulnerable fibre cables between 2022 and 2023 at the cost of more than N11bn —enough to build 870 kilometres of new fibre lines in areas without coverage.

Earlier this month, the Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Carl Cruz, while speaking during an industry forum, said the telecom company has been recording an average of 1,000 cases of fibre cuts every month.