IHS Nigeria, a telecommunications infrastructure provider, on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to supporting government and stakeholders in building a resilient communication infrastructure landscape.
The Director of Administration Operations at IHS, Mr Sadisu Jubrin, called for a holistic and sustainable strategy to safeguard the country’s critical communications infrastructure.
Jubrin made this call during the NITRA-ALTON Critical National Information Infrastructure and Sustainability Conference held in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the theme of the conference as: Critical National ICT Infrastructure and Industry Sustainability – Way Forward.
Jubrin stated that legislation alone is not enough to address persistent cases of infrastructure theft and vandalism.
He said IHS Nigeria advocates a multi-faceted approach, including public awareness, technological innovation, and strong partnerships with security agencies and local communities.
According to him, IHS Nigeria has strengthened collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) via a joint national advocacy campaign on radio and digital platforms.
“The campaign educates host communities on vandalism dangers and how damaged infrastructure affects businesses, including access to finance through Point of Sale (PoS) terminals.
“We must empower our communities to become the first line of defence against infrastructure sabotage,” he said.
Jubrin highlighted the importance of helping locals realise how stolen batteries or fibre directly impact their daily lives.
To bolster physical security, IHS Nigeria recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps.
The partnership aims to improve site surveillance, emergency response, and ensure prosecution of those involved in vandalism.
Jubrin explained that IHS uses remote monitoring and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for real-time surveillance of its infrastructure assets.
He said this technology helps detect unauthorised access, predict maintenance needs, and reduce physical site visits.
He also noted that IHS Nigeria has launched community protection programmes in key areas to protect essential hub sites.
“This initiative instils local ownership and provides employment opportunities for community members,” he said.
Jubrin emphasised that the success of these efforts depends on strong partnerships with key stakeholders.
He revealed that IHS Nigeria has teamed up with G4S to deploy 650 rapid response patrol vehicles nationwide.
These vehicles are fitted with communication systems connected directly to the network operations centre for swift incident response.
Jubrin urged operators, regulators, security agencies, and citizens to act on the recent NCC executive order without delay.
