10 Days to Go: Nigerians Lament Over Network Glitch as Millions of Subscribers Risk Being Barred
- Subscribers have been frustrated by the challenges they encounter when submitting their information to the NIN
- This is in anticipation of the September 15 deadline for the NIN to be linked to cards bearing the Subscriber Identity Module
- Subscribers urged the NCC and NIMC to work together to improve the portal’s capacity, reduce congestion at telecom centres
Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has over 3-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.
Subscribers have expressed frustration over the difficulties they face uploading their details on the National Identity Management Commission portal as the September 15 deadline for linking National Identification Number to Subscriber Identification Module cards approaches.
Source: UGC
This is on the back of reports that telecoms centres are unable to attend to anyone because of lack of networkk.
Tolu Jacob said he went to the telecom centre to retrieve his line which was stolen over the weekend but was told to check back later because of bad network.
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Another subscriber Efe Isaac told Legit.ng that he was delayed for hours while trying to update his NIN to his line.
He added,
"After waiting for several hours without getting a solution, I had to walk out of their office."
The National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers President, Adeolu Ogungbanjo, called the situation "terrible" after visiting some telecom centres, including MTN and Airtel.
“We urge the NCC and NIMC to work together to improve the portal’s capacity, reduce congestion at telecom centres, and provide adequate support staff to ensure a seamless process,” he told The PUNCH on Wednesday.
He emphasized that the present portal problems prevent the NIN-SIM linkage from being successfully completed before the deadline.
He added that if they are not resolved immediately, subscribers would not be able to fulfil the deadline.
According to Ogungbanjo, the NIMC website becomes congested when numerous users try to use it at once; it only runs smoothly when fewer users are logged in.
“When you go to the NIMC office in Alausa, Lagos, you will experience the same congestion. It takes too much time and it’s only seamless when not many people are trying to access the website. I think the congestion happens because too many people wait until the last minute to try and access the website,” he explained.
The NATCOMS President urged NIMC to address the website’s capacity issues to ensure a smooth NIN-SIM linkage process for all Nigerians, preventing further frustrations as the deadline looms.
Kayode Adegoke, the Head of Corporate Communications at NIMC, explained the organization's role in the ongoing NIN-SIM linkage process.
He emphasized that the commission's centers were open and fully functional, with adequate capacity to enroll and issue NINs to citizens.
How to check if your NIN is linked
Legit.ng reported that on Monday, April 4, the federal authorities gave carriers the order to prevent calls from being made from lines that are not yet connected to NIN, following several deadline delays.
The development has an impact on more than 70 million members. To be able to make calls again, a lot of them are now connecting their SIM to their NIN.
Notwithstanding the fact that they may still make calls, some subscribers are unsure if their SIMs have been connected to their NIN.
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Source: Legit.ng
