National Identification Registration exercise should be extended

Accra, May 6, GNA - It is necessary to extend the duration of the National Identification Authority (NIA) registration exercise to enable all the legible to be registered.

Dr. Mathew Prempeh, Member for Manhyia, presenting a statement on the floor of Parliament, said the exercise was an important national one and must not be done on the alter of anybody's convenience or ineptitude. He said however that though the exercise was commendable, there were emerging problems which needed to be addressed. He said in the Buokrom Estate electoral area in Kumasi area, for the first two days, there were no operator to take either biometric data or pictures.

Dr. Prempeh said persons without any form of identification documents are being turned away instead of being given the necessary form to fill and be registered.

He said there were reports of acute shortage of registration forms in the Odumasi and Manhyia electoral areas and more importantly, there is a palpable lack of urgency and cooperation on the part of the operators at most centres.

Dr. Prempeh called for a swift attention to the problems to ensure the success of the on-going registration exercise.

Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka-Mubarak, Member for Asawase, said officials of the exercise at certain centres asked the people to contribute money to buy canopies for them to sit outside instead of the rooms made available to do the registration.

He said the ten days duration for Kumasi was not enough and that they may not meet the dateline since it was important that everyone from six years and above was to register. Mrs. Abena Dapaah, Member for Bantama, called for the use of information vans to inform the people adding, the importance of the exercise demanded that it should be properly looked at, reviewed and effectively managed.

Mr. Charles S Hodogbey, Member for North Tongu, called on the NIA not to close the exercise but should let it continue for those who might for one reason or the other miss the scheduled registration time. Mrs. Gifty Ohene-Konadu, Member for Asante Akim South, said in some areas in her constituency, some physically challenged, the aged and some vulnerable groups were left out due to long queues and asked that those people should be given the chance to register.

Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, Member for Tamale South and Minister of Communications, said a mob-up exercise would be conducted to get every Ghanaian involved. 6 May 10.