Nigeria’s appetite for internet connectivity and digital services has reached a new milestone, with Nigerians now consuming an average of 45,800 terabytes of data every day, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The disclosure was made by the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Aminu Maida, during the 2026 Workshop for Judges on Legal Issues in Telecommunications held in Lagos. Maida was represented at the event by Ms. Rimini Makama, the NCC’s Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management.
According to the commission, total data consumption in March 2026 climbed to about 1.42 million terabytes, a sharp increase from the 995,000 terabytes recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
The NCC explained that the massive data volume reflects Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital economy, driven by increased use of social media, video streaming, mobile banking, e-commerce platforms, remote work tools, and online education services.
Providing a clearer picture of the scale of consumption, the commission noted that the daily data usage is equivalent to Nigerians streaming more than 15 million hours of high-definition video every day.
The latest figures also show a significant jump from March 2025, when average daily usage stood at approximately 32,100 terabytes. This means Nigerians are now consuming the equivalent of roughly 4.6 million additional hours of HD video daily compared to one year ago.
Industry data further revealed that Nigeria recorded more than 4.06 million terabytes of internet usage in the first quarter of 2026 alone — the highest quarterly data consumption since the NCC began tracking usage statistics.
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Analysts say the surge in data demand is placing increased pressure on telecommunications infrastructure across the country, including fibre networks, telecom towers, and broadband capacity. The growth has also intensified calls for continued investments in network expansion and improved service quality by telecom operators.
The NCC maintains that the continued expansion of broadband penetration and digital access remains central to Nigeria’s economic transformation agenda, as millions of citizens increasingly depend on internet services for business, communication, entertainment, and financial transactions.
