Nigeria’s states take widely different approaches to the cost of laying fibre-optic cables. Some have waived Right of Way (RoW) fees; others charge the ₦145-per-metre benchmark, while Ogun State charges up to ₦6,600 ($4.84) per metre. Yet these differences do not neatly explain where fibre infrastructure has been built, raising questions about what else drives investment. Administrative reforms and project-specific concessions may help offset high fees, but there is little evidence that they do so systematically.
The Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA) describes itself as a one-stop regulator for utility infrastructure, and the state has announced an online permitting system to streamline approvals for fibre, masts and towers. However, the announcement does not establish whether the system has reduced processing times or costs or removed requirements such as environmental approvals.
Ogun has also reportedly waived RoW charges for a specific 250-kilometre MainOne deployment, but that historical concession does not establish that similar incentives are generally available today. There is no verified evidence of a telecom-specific tax-break programme that explains the substantial fibre networks in these high-fee states. Without access to operators’ permits, concession agreements and investment decisions, it remains unclear whether incentives offset the charges or whether companies invest despite them.
Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) Ease of Doing Business portal, published in July 2026, shows that Ogun has 4,246.48 kilometres of deployed fibre, while Kano and Rivers, which charge ₦2,754 (2.02) and ₦2,256(1.65) per metre respectively, have 4,616.71 kilometres and 4,616.01 kilometres. Delta, with a rate of ₦2,706 ($1.98) per metre, has 4,202.62 kilometres. RoW charges are only one component of deployment costs. Trenching and duct installation also depend on ground conditions, water crossings, construction methods and access to existing infrastructure.
The NCC portal’s fee and deployment indicators do not provide route-level construction costs.