Households and small businesses across Nigeria are grappling with mounting financial and operational losses following prolonged disruptions to the National Identification Number (NIN) verification system managed by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
For several weeks, telecommunications subscribers have been unable to register new SIM cards, replace lost lines, or complete SIM swaps due to what industry sources describe as a persistent failure of the NIN portal. The disruption—now stretching into weeks—has affected all major mobile network operators, including MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, and 9mobile.
One MTN subscriber, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said his wedding took place on March 28, yet as of March 31, a SIM he swapped on March 25 remained inactive, leaving him unable to make or receive calls.
The outage mirrors a similar incident in July 2025, raising fresh concerns about the reliability of Nigeria’s digital identity infrastructure.
For millions of Nigerians, the consequences extend beyond inconvenience. Many households rely on mobile lines for banking alerts, business transactions, and daily communication. With SIM-related services suspended, users who lose access to their lines are effectively cut off from essential services.
“I have been unable to retrieve my business line for over two weeks,” said Mr Yusuf Tijani, a Lagos-based trader.
“Customers cannot reach me, and I cannot access my bank alerts tied to that number. I am losing money daily.”
A customer service representative at an MTN service centre in Matori confirmed that most SIM cards registered over the past week remain pending and inactive.
Telecom operators have consistently attributed the disruption to NIMC’s backend systems. In a public response to customers, Airtel Nigeria confirmed that the NIN verification portal was “currently unavailable”, preventing SIM registrations.
However, reports from service centres contradict occasional claims of partial functionality.
Staff at multiple operator outlets told customers that all SIM-related services had been suspended “until further notice”, with no clear timeline for resolution.
The ripple effects are being felt across sectors. Beyond telecommunications, the NIN portal downtime has disrupted bank verifications, international passport processing, and registrations for external examinations. Digital-dependent microenterprises—many of which operate primarily through mobile communication—have been particularly hard hit.
Economic analysts warn that the cumulative impact on households could be significant. With Nigeria’s growing reliance on mobile connectivity for daily transactions, even brief disruptions can result in lost income, delayed payments, and reduced productivity.
Public frustration has intensified online, where users have criticized what they describe as systemic inefficiencies. Some have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Communications to intervene urgently.
There are also rising concerns about security risks. Experts note that delays in SIM replacement can expose individuals to fraud, particularly when lost or stolen numbers remain unrecovered while still linked to sensitive financial accounts.
Despite widespread complaints, NIMC has maintained that parts of its platform remain operational. The commission recently stated that its modification services were “up and running,” a position that appears inconsistent with the experiences of telecom operators and subscribers.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has yet to issue an official statement addressing the disruption, further deepening uncertainty within the industry.
As the outage continues, stakeholders warn that restoring confidence in Nigeria’s digital identity system will require not only a technical fix but also structural reforms to prevent recurring failures.
For now, many Nigerians remain stranded—unable to connect, transact, or recover critical communication lines—while the backbone of the country’s identity verification system struggles to stay online.
