The mobile application issued by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) is far from perfect and may leave you scratching your head if you are not the patient type. Although the reviews have remarkably improved rising to 2.5 percent from 1.5 percent the last time we looked, it is better to avoid them and make up your mind independently.
The mere promise of not having to depend on a plastic card because your ID now resides in your phone should be enough spur to get you through the obstacles and complete the process. If that does not get you going, the fact that the number of installs has grown from 100,000 at the beginning of January to 500,000 by the end of the same month should let you know that demand is growing.
Full disclosure, this writer deleted it twice before getting it right on the third download.
Also important to note that you must have a very strong internet network to be able to get to the last stage of sign-up. Space in your phone is also important because the size of the app is a whopping 55MB, which is the builders’ way of telling the dominant feature owners “You are not wanted here.”
But let’s get to the nitty-gritty of this much celebrated mobile app.
Read Also: 47m subscribers’ fate hangs in balance as NIMC deadline ends
The Good
When you read through what you can do within the app, you get the idea you have the ultimate convenience. But you must have a registered NIN.
The basic functionality of the app is to link your mobile numbers to your NIN securely. You are allowed to link up to 6 extra mobile numbers to comply with the requirements of the NCC to link your Mobile numbers to your NIN. You can also verify your NIN using the dashboard with or without an Internet connection on your phone.
It also allows you to verify the identity of someone else, for example, the identity of a driver, house help, or staff. This feature also works to the advantage of businesses. You can easily verify who the other party you are dealing with.
There are other exciting promises the app plans to feature in the coming days like the ability to synchronize your BVN, TIN, driver’s license, and passport in a secure wallet, all tied to your NIN. NIMC says the information will only be known to you and will remain encrypted until required.
Finally, once you complete the sign-up, you are not allowed to screenshot your page because of security.
That’s where the exciting things end though.
The Bad
The knocks begin with trying to find the app on the Google Play Store. If you are not careful, you will be confused by the name of the app, MWS: NIMC Mobileid offered by NIMC mobile ID team. Why did NIMC not opt for something simpler?
Another knock is the unexciting look of the app. From the first page, nearly everything is in black and white except for the blue used on Privacy by Design feature. The eight-page message is at most repetitive and should have been shortened to allow the user to get to the signup page faster.
The Ugly
This is where the frustrations begin. First, you cannot copy your NIN from anywhere on your phone and paste it on the welcome page where you are asked for it. You have to type it, as precious seconds while away.
Then you click the Agree button that confirms you agree to the somewhat combative Terms and Conditions. Soon after you click the button, the next thing you find is “Oops! Your submission returned an error: No internet connection available.” You have to go back again to type in your NIN number on the welcome page. Click the Agree button again and wait for the Next button to waste another one minute and show you the “Oops!…” message. Guess where you are going back to? Welcome page to type your NIN yet again.
The bright side is if you had not previously crammed the NIN, you will after the fourth or fifth attempt.
When you make it to the OTP page, get ready for another delay. The OTP digits may take time to arrive in your message inbox. Since it is not automated, you have to again type out the details, then click the Next button. The page could take about a minute or two or three to finally get to the next one. In some cases, you have to resend the OTP.
Then you get to the Finish page where you create a PIN, thankfully this does not cause delays. Once you click on the Finish button the frustration is over. Approximately, you could close to 40 minutes navigating from the Attestation page to the OTP.
“I would have given this app zero ratings if that was possible,” said a reviewer Praize Feji, “After typing in my NIMC number, my phone number showed up and I clicked on Next to confirm it is my phone number, what showed up next was a 401 error message. I have tried up to five times now and it is still showing the same thing. Why can’t the app just work the way it is supposed to? Did you guys even test the app before uploading it to the play store? Please fix the problem.”
“Well, I view this digital innovation is a brilliant one that the Federal Government has put in place. All that remains is to ensure easy functionality of the app. For instance, I am finding it difficult to register, the response is always “Oops! Your submission returns an error: No internet connection available” and I have enough data,” Temgu Wilfred, another reviewer noted.
Unfortunately, NIMC seems not to mind as there is no communications team addressing users’ feedback on the Store.
