Technical Breakdown Paralyzes NHIA Registration Process Across Lagos

Many Lagos residents trying to register for the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) scheme have been stranded for weeks due to a persistent server breakdown that has halted new enrolments.

Several applicants said they have repeatedly been turned back at the NHIA office in Yaba, where officials explained that a server malfunction has made it impossible to process or verify applicants’ details.

Hundreds of people who visited the office in recent weeks reportedly spent long hours in queues, only to be told that their National Identification Numbers (NIN) could not be retrieved for verification and registration.

Officials at the centre said the registration process could not continue without access to NIN data, leaving many applicants confused and uncertain about when the issue would be resolved.

The situation has caused growing frustration among Lagos residents, especially as citizens are being encouraged to sign up for the health insurance scheme.

One applicant said he had spent the last two weeks visiting the NHIA office without success.

“I went to the NHIA office in Yaba two weeks ago for registration, and I was informed that they had stopped enrolling new applicants because of a server problem,” he explained.

“They said that whenever they tried to register someone, the system wouldn’t connect. You may have to press the command 10 or 15 times, and each attempt attracts a charge. So, if you punch 10 times for one individual, you pay 10 times, and that has been going on for a while.

“The NHIA told us they had informed the Nigeria Immigration Service, because they need to verify applicants’ National Identification Numbers before registration can be completed, but they have refused to solve it. They are making cheap money from it. We don’t know when the issue will be resolved,” he added.

Another resident, who also tried to register for the scheme, expressed frustration after visiting the office three times in two weeks.

“I was there two Thursdays ago, I was there last Friday, and I was there again today (Tuesday), yet the issue has not been resolved,” she said. “They just ask us to fill out the form and promise that we’ll be registered once the matter is fixed, but no one knows when that will be.”

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Assistant Comptroller Akinsola Akinlabi, said the NHIA had not reached out to the Service regarding any technical problem.

“We do not have any operational relationship with the NHIA, so we did not receive any complaint from them. From our end, there has been no issue with NIN verification for those applying for passports,” Akinlabi said.