Nigerians Consume 45,800 Terabytes of Data Daily, NCC Reveals

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has revealed that Nigerians are now consuming about 45,800 terabytes of data every day, reflecting the country’s rapidly growing dependence on internet services and digital platforms.

Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of the NCC, Aminu Maida, disclosed this on Thursday during the 2026 Workshop for Judges on Legal Issues in Telecommunications held in Lagos.

Maida, who was represented by Ms Rimini Makama, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, NCC, said the daily consumption brought total consumed data in March 2026 to 1.42 million, compared with 995,000 terabytes recorded within the corresponding period of 2025.

What the NCC boss is saying

Maida noted that Nigeria’s digital economy is scaling up quickly, with growth in digital payments, e-commerce, startups, and tech-driven literacy programmes helping to deepen economic inclusion and widen access to digital services.

Breaking down the amount of data consumed, Maid said:

• “Put another way, this is roughly equivalent to Nigerians watching over 15 million hours of high-definition video every single day.”

He added that daily data usage in March last year stood at about 32,100 terabytes, equivalent to roughly 10.7 million hours of HD video consumption per day.

• “This means Nigerians are now using the equivalent of about 4.6 million more hours of HD video every day than they did a year ago,” he stated.

He noted that the increasing internet usage mirrors the rapid expansion of Nigeria’s digital economy, driven by digital payments, e-commerce platforms, startups, digital literacy programmes, and emerging technologies.

• “The rapid growth of digital payments, e-commerce platforms, startups, digital literacy, and the adoption of emerging technologies underscores the immense potential of our digital economy to drive innovation and expand opportunities,” he said.

More insights

Despite the sector’s growth, the NCC boss warned that telecommunications infrastructure remains vulnerable to vandalism, fibre cuts, theft of equipment, and sabotage.

He referenced the recent designation of telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noting that telecom assets now require enhanced protection because of their strategic importance.

• According to Maida, the NCC is working with security agencies, telecom operators, and other stakeholders to intensify protection measures through nationwide asset mapping, public sensitisation campaigns, mediation, and stronger enforcement.
• He added that the Commission’s collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser had already led to the disruption of syndicates involved in telecom equipment theft and resale.
• On cybersecurity, Maida said the NCC launched the Telecommunications Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS) to tackle SIM-related fraud, identity theft, and number recycling abuses.
• He added that the Commission had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Central Bank of Nigeria to support the fight against electronic fraud linked to phone numbers.

According to him, the collaboration would also be extended to agencies including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the National Identity Management Commission.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the NCC Governing Board, Idris Olorunnimbe, said digital technologies had significantly transformed governance, commerce, security systems and social interactions across modern societies and economies globally.

Olorunnimbe said issues surrounding cybersecurity, online harms, infrastructure protection, artificial intelligence, and consumer rights required stronger institutional collaboration and improved judicial understanding of Nigeria’s evolving digital and telecommunications regulatory environment.

He expressed confidence that the workshop would strengthen judicial capacity to adjudicate telecommunications-related disputes effectively while supporting innovation, protecting citizens, and safeguarding Nigeria’s critical digital infrastructure and broader digital economy.

What you should know

The NCC, in a statement issued on Wednesday, had disclosed that telecommunications operators invested more than N2.5 trillion in network infrastructure in 2025 as the regulator moved to tackle worsening service quality complaints across the country.

The commission said Mobile Network Operators invested over N2.13 trillion in network infrastructure and upgrades last year, while Tower Companies committed an additional N373.8 billion to support expansion and modernisation efforts across the sector.

Aside from the service quality improvement mandate given to the telecom operators by the NCC, the investments were spurred by the increasing data consumption, which continues to put pressure on existing infrastructure.