A five-day internet outage has severely impacted remote work and online activities across Nigeria, with many professionals struggling to meet deadlines and attend virtual meetings.
On August 1, 2024, Percy Ani faced difficulties accessing work documents, which only worsened when she discovered widespread network issues affecting many users. “I was unable to get any work done and lost a significant amount of money,” Ani told BusinessDay on Tuesday. “Telecoms companies failed me, and I can’t even begin to explain the extent of my losses.”
The network disruption coincided with a youth-led protest against economic hardships and government policies, including President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s approach to high inflation (34.19% in June 2024) and reduced purchasing power. The protest, which is set to last 10 days, has exacerbated the problem for remote workers who rely heavily on internet connectivity.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) reported a surge in internet usage from 125,149.86 terabytes (TB) in December 2019 to 753,388.77 TB by March 2024, driven largely by the COVID-19 pandemic which forced many activities online. Mobile internet subscriptions also grew from 135.74 million in March 2020 to 163.89 million in March 2024.
Victoria Adewolu, an online journalist, reported that it took 20 minutes to upload a story due to the poor internet speed, which reached a maximum of just 700 Kbps. Oladayo Adenubi, a financial analyst, also expressed frustration over the slow speeds, which he said affected his productivity until service was restored on Tuesday.
Virtual teacher Adewunmi Onofomi reported significant disruptions to her classes, stating that technical issues led to a backlog of lessons to be caught up on this week.
Adele Adarabioyo, who works remotely for an international organization, struggled to meet job deadlines, managing to submit only one out of four required reports during the outage.
Social media was abuzz with complaints about the network issues. Users like Chisom Nwokwu and Lola Okunrin voiced frustration over the outages, with many attributing the disruption to the ongoing protests against government policies.
Civil society organizations have alleged that the internet throttling was an intentional attempt to hinder the #EndBadGovernance protests. In a letter to the Office of the National Security Adviser, the NCC, and the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, the groups condemned the disruptions as a violation of constitutional rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
Industry insiders have suggested alternative explanations, including damage to fiber infrastructure and external sabotage. One source reported that a fiber manhole along Lekki-Epe Expressway was set ablaze.
Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, denied any government orders to disrupt network services. “There’s no instruction to tamper with the network. However, a surge in online traffic might have contributed to the connectivity issues,” he said in a Channels Television interview on August 1.
The recent disruptions highlight ongoing concerns about Nigeria’s internet infrastructure. The Ministry of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy’s draft National AI Strategy notes that Nigeria’s average download speed of 35 Mbps lags behind the global average of 93 Mbps, placing the country at 111th and 140th globally in mobile and fixed broadband speed, respectively.
