Drive through parts of Ikeja GRA and you may notice something above your head: cables hanging low across the street. For delivery trucks, tall vehicles and pedestrians, a sagging line is more than an eyesore. It is a hazard, and it is the reason Lagos has now handed some of the country's biggest internet providers a two-day deadline.
The Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA) has ordered MTN, Airtel, ipNX, FibreOne and 21st Century Technologies to inspect, secure and repair sagging overhead fibre-optic cables in Ikeja GRA within 48 hours of receiving its notice.
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LASIMRA wants the cables inspected, secured and fixed within 48 hours, with proof of repairs sent to the agency. Operators that miss the deadline face "appropriate regulatory penalties and further enforcement action."
What LASIMRA ordered
The notice is dated October 19, according to TVC News, which names LASIMRA's general manager, Prince Oyekanmi Elegushi, as the signatory. It follows a routine enforcement patrol on October 13, when officials found sagging aerial fibre in Ikeja GRA. The streets named include Oduduwa Crescent and Ladipo Bateye Street.
The agency cited public safety, infrastructure maintenance and regulatory compliance. Operators must do more than fix the cables: they have to send LASIMRA confirmation of the corrective steps they took. Technext reports the deadline falls around Wednesday evening, and the agency's original notice was posted on its X account.
No fine amounts were given. The notice only promises penalties and further enforcement if operators fail to comply.
Why the cables hang low
Residents have complained about uncoordinated overhead fibre deployment. Low-hanging cables can snag trucks, fall onto footpaths and obstruct drivers, and they can contribute to accidents and outages. Fibre is spreading fast, so the problem is likely to grow before it shrinks. Technext cites industry data showing the number of fibre-to-the-x (FTTX) subscribers rose to 319,735 in the second quarter, up 29% from 241,750 in the first quarter of 2026. That is still a small slice of Nigeria's roughly 158 million internet subscriptions, but every new connection often means more cable on poles and across streets.
Not the first warning
This is not the first time Lagos has pressed operators on cables. According to reporting by FIJ, LASIMRA gave operators a 14-day deadline in February to clear cables from 13 areas in Ikeja, and a follow-up check 44 days later found little had changed. We have not independently verified that check, but it explains why many observers will watch whether this 48-hour deadline is enforced or quietly extended.
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What this means for you
For residents and businesses in Ikeja GRA, the order should mean safer streets and fewer broken cables if operators comply. For the wider public, it is a reminder that faster home internet has a physical cost: someone has to hang the cable, and someone has to keep it safe.
For internet providers, the message is that Lagos is treating cable placement as a compliance issue, not a courtesy. Expect more inspections, and expect regulators to ask for photographic or written proof. If you rely on a fibre line that looks poorly installed outside your home, you can report it to your provider and to LASIMRA.
Watch two things next. First, whether the five operators publicly confirm repairs. Second, whether LASIMRA names fines if any of them miss the deadline. As of publication, none of the operators had been quoted in the reports we reviewed.
Bottom line: Lagos has set a 48-hour clock on sagging fibre in Ikeja GRA. The real test is whether this notice leads to repairs and penalties, or joins the earlier deadlines that passed quietly.
