Exclusive: How NIN causes discomfort, rendered SIM registration agents jobless
• applicants alleged NIMC staffs collect N5,000 bribe at registration centres in Lagos State.
By Abolaji Adebayo
A number of youths have lost their jobs and become unemployed due to the cumbersome process of national identification number registration across the country.
Many of the agents of Mobile Networks Operators (MNOs) became victims as the federal government stopped the registration of new Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards and retrieval of the lost or damaged ones without National Identification Number (NIN).
The government has equally ordered that all the existing SIM cards be linked with NIN, making people rushing to NIMC centres to register for their National Identity cards.
Some of the MNOs agents who spoke to LagosStreetJournal, blamed the situation on the slow pace of the registration exercise at NIC registration centres across the country.
They urged the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to decentralise the registration centres for National ID card to ease the stress applicants go through and increase the numbers of persons that are registered on daily basis.
Since Wednesday, December 9, 2020, MNOs and Internet Services Providers (ISPs) had ceased to sell or activate Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) based on the order given by the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC).
Although the suspension have been partly lifted only for the replacement and activation of old SIMs owned by existing customers but it is yet to take effect.
Expressing their dissatisfaction about the suspension of SIM related activities which has since led to the closure of some SIM registration outlets, SIM registration agents urged the federal government to extend the NIN registration centres to banks, MNOs headquarters and offices and other corporate places in order to decongest the scanty NIC registration centres.
One of the SIM cards registration agents of one of the network provider, whose office is at Ire-Akari area of Isolo, lamented that the suspension had significantly affected their business as many of their workers have been laid off since there is nothing to do.
He explained that each of the employees make more than N3000 on daily basis from registration of new SIMs and other related services but the suspension has put their activities on halt.
His words: “The suspension of SIM activities has affected our business and made our workers jobless because most of the shops are locked. Most of our workers have nothing to do now. We have about 17 workers who made more than N3,000 on day basis but with this suspension, they have nothing to do. We hope that they won’t be tempted to go into criminal acts just to survive.
“This is also a hard time for the company as a whole because we lose customers day by day. Admission seekers come here to complain that they can’t receive code from JAMB to perfect their registration and I fear that many people may have to lose their admission this year because their SIMs got lost and they cannot retrieve them. Market women and other business owners come here for reactivation issues as well.
“We are hopeful that all existing subscribers who have issues with their SIMs will be able to reactivate them beginning from next week provided they have NIN and that is one of the reasons why we are appealing to the commission to extend the registration centres to our offices, banks and other corporate places to decongest the major centres.”
Another shop attendant identified as Oluwaseun, who works in a registration centre along Ibeh Road, also lamented the adverse effect of the situation on her business.
She also appealed for decentralisation of the registration centre and provision of more equipment to the existing centres to increase the productivity of the agents.
Meanwhile, it was observed that there is only one system used to register teeming applicant at the only NIC registration centre in Isolo LCDA located within the council secretariat and other centres across the state, limiting the productivity of the personnel.
As of the time of filing this report, bookings have been made by applicants till March, 2022 for the registration.
Many of the applicants even alleged that they are asked to pay about N5,000 before they could be registered in some centres in Lagos State.
