9mobile users groan over Two-Month network outage in Cross River, Akwa Ibom

Residents and businesses in Akwa Ibom and Cross River States have continued to lament the prolonged shutdown of 9mobile’s network services in the region, leaving thousands of subscribers stranded for over two months according to a report by News360 Nigeria.

Many affected users who visited the 9mobile office along Marian Road in Calabar shared harrowing experiences of job losses, missed appointments, and crippled businesses due to the network failure.

A visibly distressed subscriber, Inyang Eyo, told News360 Nigeria, “I lost a job opportunity because they tried to reach me several times on my 9mobile line, but it wasn’t connecting. This was my main line, and it’s painful it happened when I was hoping for good news.”

Another subscriber, Grace Ekpo, expressed her frustration. “I’ve stopped receiving calls on my 9mobile line for over a month. At first, I thought my SIM was blocked, so I came to the office to check. I haven’t been able to make or receive calls. It’s never been this bad.”

For Ansa Abang, the impact has been severe on his tech business. “I use this 9mobile line for receiving Google and Facebook verification codes for my clients’ accounts. Now, my online activities are down. I’ve lost clients and presence online because of this network issue,” he said.

When News360 Nigeria visited the 9mobile office, the situation appeared dire. The premises had no power supply, no functional devices, and just a lone staff member on duty who refused to speak on the matter. A security guard, however, commented, “Naso e be, people dey come here every day for this problem. Make una de patient, dem go fix am.”

9mobile, Nigeria’s fourth-largest telecommunications provider, has been grappling with a shrinking subscriber base. According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the operator lost over 6,000 customers to rival networks within three months.

The NCC report revealed that in December 2024 alone, 2,188 subscribers left 9mobile out of 2,998 users who switched networks, while in November, 3,891 out of 4,726 migrating subscribers also dumped the network.