LAGOS, May 15 – Nigeria’s daily internet data consumption rose to about 45,800 terabytes in March 2026, highlighting the country’s accelerating dependence on digital services and online platforms, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission.
The NCC said total data usage for March reached 1.42 million terabytes, compared with 995,000 terabytes recorded during the same period in 2025.
Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Aminu Maida, disclosed the figures during the 2026 Workshop for Judges on Legal Issues in Telecommunications held in Lagos.
Maida, represented by NCC Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, said the scale of daily data consumption was equivalent to Nigerians streaming more than 15 million hours of high-definition video every day.
According to the commission, daily internet usage in March 2025 averaged 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,” Maida said.
The NCC said the rapid growth in internet usage reflects the expansion of Nigeria’s digital economy, driven by rising adoption of digital payments, e-commerce platforms, startups, digital literacy initiatives 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,” Maida said.
Despite the sector’s growth, the NCC warned that telecommunications infrastructure remains exposed to risks including vandalism, fibre cuts, equipment theft and sabotage.
The commission referenced President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent designation of telecommunications assets as Critical National Information Infrastructure, a move aimed at strengthening protection for the country’s digital infrastructure.
According to the NCC, the commission is working with security agencies, telecom operators and other stakeholders to improve infrastructure protection through nationwide asset mapping, public awareness campaigns, mediation efforts and stronger enforcement measures.
Maida said collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser had already disrupted syndicates involved in telecom equipment theft and illegal resale.
On cybersecurity, the NCC said it launched the Telecommunications Identity Risk Management System to address SIM-related fraud, identity theft and abuses linked to recycled phone numbers.
The regulator also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Central Bank of Nigeria to strengthen efforts against electronic fraud tied to phone numbers. The initiative is expected to expand to agencies including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the National Identity Management Commission.
Chairman of the NCC Governing Board, Idris Olorunnimbe, said digital technologies are increasingly reshaping governance, commerce, security systems and social interactions across modern economies.
He added that issues surrounding cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, online harms, infrastructure protection and consumer rights require stronger institutional cooperation and improved judicial understanding of Nigeria’s evolving digital regulatory environment.
