Include 'Buli language' in ongoing national identification exercise - Azong to NIA

The Executive Director of a civil society group calling itself, Rural Association for Integrated Services for the Empowerment of the Deprived (RAISED), and a former minister of state in charge of Public Sector Reform, Alhassan Azong, is calling for unconditional inclusion of Buli language in the ongoing national identification exercise.

The National Identification Authority began its exercise in June this year with the registration of some selected groups including MPs and staff at the seat of government.

The project is among initiatives undertaken by government, to formalize the economy of the country.

In a statement issued by the group signed by Alhassan Azong, the Buli language widely spoken among some villages including Kologo, Naaga and other tribes in the Upper East Region, was omitted from the list of languages selected, for the exercise.

“our attention has been drawn to the fact that the Buli language which is the major language widely spoken among the people of Sandema and Fambisi, the capitals of two districts and their surrounding major villages in the upper East region has been omitted from the list of languages selected from the National Identification Authority detected on your (NIA) current on-going exercise,” Alhassan Azong stated.

The group is, therefore, calling on the NIA to urgently address the matter.

The statement further adds, “We’ve no reason to import the omission was deliberate, we would appreciate if this anomaly is rectified in the following two ways. First, and foremost, unconditional inclusion of the Buli and secondly, all Builsas who have already registered be given the opportunity re-register as to avoid the knowledge of the actual population of Builsas in the country”.