Nigerians Lament Difficulties with NIN Modifications and Bank Transactions
Nigerian bank customers have been facing significant challenges with their NIN due to discrepancies between their personal information on the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) portal and their bank records. This is causing major disruptions to their banking activities.
Many have lamented their sad experiences, mostly married women who have changed their maiden names. When they attempted to update their details on the NIMC self-service portal, the modifications were not immediately reflected in their bank accounts. Banks have been blaming NIMC for the failure, while NIMC claims the banks are still using the old portal and have not updated to the new system.
One staff member at the NIMC office in Uvwie local government explained that the banks are still working with the old NIMC portal, and need to update to the new system to access the modified profiles. He stated that when customers check their profiles on the Nigerian Immigration Service portal, the updates are visible, but the banks’ systems have not been synchronized.
The NIMC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Kayode Adegoke, asserted that the NIMC’s verification and authentication system is working optimally, and any issues with verification can be escalated to them for immediate resolution. However, the affected customers tell a different story.
Mrs. Amaka, a Lagos-based bank customer, said she updated her name on the NIMC self-service portal in September, but the old name was still showing on her profile, even though the modification was reflected on her digital NIN slip. She believes NIMC needs to complete the modification process more efficiently.
Another customer in Warri, Delta State, shared a similar experience. She said her modification was updated on the Immigration portal, but the bank’s records still showed the old information, and her NIMC profile also retained the outdated details. She felt that NIMC had not fully completed the modification process.
Business centers around the Uvwie local government secretariat that offer NIN services also recounted instances of frustrated customers blaming them for the issues they were facing. They explained that many customers struggle with the self-modification process and require assistance, but even after the changes are made, the banks still encounter problems.
Bank staff interviewed also placed the blame on NIMC, stating that the Commission provided them with the portal they are using, and the modifications only show up automatically when NIMC completes the process on their end. They urged NIMC to update the app they provided to the banks.
The frustrations experienced by customers have led some to abandon the process altogether. Mrs. Modupe Fashina in Lagos said she had to give up after spending two weeks shuttling between the bank and NIMC office, as the name change did not reflect in the bank’s system. Similarly, Mrs. Fadekemi Shodipe in Lagos spent over a week trying to resolve the discrepancies in her name and date of birth, but the banks and NIMC were unable to reconcile the differences.
Other customers, like Mrs. Bimbo Adams, have had to pay additional fees, such as N10,000, to try and resolve the issues, but to no avail. She expressed frustration with the NIMC staff’s lack of technical knowledge in updating personal details and uploading the changes to the system.
There’s an urgent need for the Federal Government to intervene and facilitate better coordination between the banks and NIMC to streamline the NIN modification process. Customers are facing significant financial and time-related challenges due to the current system’s shortcomings, with their money trapped in the banks and their access to essential services disrupted.
The government is urged to summon the banks and NIMC to upgrade the NIN modification system, ensuring that changes made on the NIMC portal are immediately reflected in the banks’ systems. This would alleviate the frustrations experienced by the affected customers and restore their ability to access their funds and conduct banking transactions seamlessly.
