Lagos orders telecom operators to clean up messy cables in Lekki and Ikeja by November 9 or face sanctions

The Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA) has ordered telecom operators to clean up messy telecom infrastructure by November 9 or face enforcement. According to TechNext, the urgent directive, released on Tuesday, November 3, and signed by the agency's General Manager, Prince Oyekanmi Elegushi, tells operators, especially internet service providers (ISPs), in the state's major commercial and residential hubs to immediately clean and sanitise their overhead and underground telecom infrastructure. (Cover photo is a file photo of a Lagos street, not the cables in question.)

Three zones named; sagging fibre must be secured

The directive covers three locations: Ilasan and Ikate in Lekki, Allen Avenue in Ikeja, and the Customs Office area off Toyin Street, Ikeja. Operators in and around these zones must rearrange, secure and clear all dangling cables, sagging fibre-optic wires and associated hardware installations that create environmental hazards and obstruct public spaces. All network infrastructure, including cables and associated installations, must be properly arranged, secured and cleared of any obstruction or environmental nuisance. The notice names five major operators, including MTN, Airtel, ipNX, FibreOne and 21st Century Technologies.

Enforcement from November 9; confiscation or heavy fines possible

LASIMRA warned that enforcement operations will commence on Monday, November 9, 2026, against non-compliant providers, and that operators must complete all corrective work before that date to avoid statutory sanctions, which may include confiscation of non-compliant infrastructure or heavy administrative penalties. The agency has previously ordered fixes for sagging fibre cables in Ikeja; this notice widens the cleanup to several commercial and residential areas in Lekki and Ikeja.