Chinese, Indian Manufacturers Join Galaxy Backbone to Salvage Collapsed NIMC Portal

…as Many Agencies suffer setback

The technical hitch in the National Identity Number (NIN) verification portal of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has yet to be resolved about seven days after the unfortunate development.

This came as top officials of NIMC met with telecommunications service providers with a view to findings solutions to the glitch, which has left many telecoms subscribers stranded.

Earlier report has it that thousands of telecommunication subscribers nationwide seeking to retrieve their lost Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards or acquire new lines temporarily were left stranded, following the technical glitch in the NIMC portal that has grounded SIM-related services.

The affected NIMC portal enables telecom firms, the Nigerian Immigration Service, banks, and other organisations to verify the National Identity Number of their customers before attending to them, in line with the Federal Government’s directive.

Read More: NIMC Debunks Servers Hack Reports, Says Citizens NINs Secure

However, It was learnt on Monday that the hitch affecting the NIMC’s NIN portal was caused by a technical problem with the Hosting Service Platform of Galaxy Backbone Limited, a Federal Government agency that provides Information and Communications Technology services.

Among other services, Galaxy Backbone is also mandated to manage the Internet facilities and websites of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government

A reliable source informed The PUNCH on Monday evening that many MDAs were also affected by the platform service breakdown.

The source, a top government official who is close to the situation, said, “A lot of Ministries Departments and Agencies are affected but we are gradually bringing them up. I don’t have the full information of the ones that have been restored but a number of them will be restored.”

Agencies such as Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigeria Police Force, and the Federal Road Safety Commission were among the government agencies affected, according to officials.

#Chinese, Indian manufacturers join Galaxy Backbone in Marathon Repair Sessions

Meanwhile, it was learnt that Galaxy Backbone’s technical teams, supported by Original Equipment Manufacturers from India and China, were currently working round the clock to fix the snag.

Another source further confirmed that the technical teams at Galaxy Backbone, an agency mandated to provide Internet infrastructure to government agencies, were joined by the foreign partners over 72 hours ago, to resolve the problem.

The source said, “The team has been working for over 72 hours, trying to fix the whole thing. The agency is working with some guys from India and China to resolve the issue.”

In a statement from the Twitter page of Galaxy Backbone, it was disclosed that the agency is having some technical challenges with its Hosting Service Platform, which has affected services the agency hosts for some of its customers.

The statement read in part, “Galaxy Backbone is currently experiencing some technical challenges with its Hosting Service Platform which has affected services being hosted for some of our customers.”

The Galaxy Backbone said its team was working to ensure that the service is fully restored, adding that it regrets the service disruptions.

The statement further read, “This incident has been assigned the highest priority classification, and Galaxy Backbone’s technical teams, supported by its Original Equipment Manufacturers partners, are currently working round the clock, with good progress being recorded, to ensure that affected services are restored as soon as possible.

“In the meantime, GBB has continued to reach out to all its customers and will continue to do so to provide the necessary updates needed, until all affected services are fully restored.

“The Management of Galaxy Backbone regrets all services disruptions and inconveniences being experienced by our numerous customers.”

However, the statement was later deleted from the Twitter page but our correspondent had taken a screenshot of it.

Meanwhile, findings revealed that telcos could not attend to subscribers seeking to retrieve the lost, damaged or stolen SIM cards due to the telecom firms’’ inability to verify their customers’ NIN.

Also, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) remains hopeful as it ruled out possibilities of postponement of the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and Direct Entry examinations amidst the news of the temporary suspension of the verification of NIN by NIMC.