For over two months, residents and businesses in Akwa Ibom and Cross River States have been plunged into digital darkness as 9mobile’s network services remain completely shut dow in the region. The prolonged outage has disrupted lives and livelihoods, with thousands of subscribers unable to make calls, receive messages, or access essential digital services.
At the 9mobile office on Marian Road in Calabar, frustration runs high. The premises, described as nearly non-functional, had no electricity, no operational systems, and just a lone staff member unwilling to speak on the matter. A security guard, however, confirmed the flood of complaints: “Naso e be, people dey come here every day for this problem. Make una de patient, dem go fix am.”
For Inyang Eyo, the network failure cost him a job opportunity. “They tried to reach me several times on my 9mobile line, but it wasn’t connecting. I lost the job. This was my main line, and it’s painful.”
Grace Ekpo shared a similar experience: “I thought my SIM was blocked. It’s been over a month without service. I can’t make or receive calls. It’s never been this bad.”
Ansa Abang, who runs a tech-based business, said the outage crippled his operations. “I use my 9mobile line for receiving Google and Facebook verification codes. I’ve lost clients and credibility. My online business has practically shut down.”
The disruption comes amid growing concerns about 9mobile’s shrinking subscriber base. According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the operator lost over 6,000 subscribers to rival networks within three months. In December 2024, 2,188 users ported out of 9mobile, while 3,891 left in November, representing a sharp erosion of consumer confidence.
Despite the rising complaints, 9mobile has yet to issue a formal statement addressing the outage or offering a timeline for resolution. With no clear explanation from the company and the NCC silent on enforcement or consumer compensation, users are left stranded and businesses continue to suffer.
Consumer rights advocates are now calling on the NCC and the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy to investigate the blackout and compel 9mobile to restore service and compensate affected customers.
“This is no longer just a network issue,” said one ICT analyst. “It’s a public infrastructure failure, and it’s hurting the economy of an entire region.”
