Poor network and system failure affect NIA registration at Ningo Prampram, environs

Barely a week into the National Identification Authority, NIA's registration exercise for the Ghana Card in parts of the Greater Accra region, concerns are been raised by residents over undue delays at various centers within the Ningo Prampram, Kpone Katamanso Municipality, and the Ashaiman Municipality.

At most centers visited on Wednesday afternoon, one can barely see any form of pressure at the centres.

The long winding queues that usually characterizes exercises such as this was missing.

When enquired, the news team was told most of the people who massed up to the centres had left due to the bad network experienced at the centres.

There are complaints of long delays caused by system breakdowns, no network and late arrival of NIA staff among others at most of the centers.

At a center called Primary B in the New Ningo area in the Ningo Prampram District, residents alleged that the NIA officials report to work late and closes as early as 3 pm.

Indeed as at the time the news team got there, one could barely see officials behind their tables working. Aside those at the third stage, the rest had closed and some were not at post including the supervisor.

Apart from that, residents say not a single card has been issued in the area. Frustration was written all over the faces of the few residents left at the centre who were bent on going through the process at all cost considering the time wasted there over the days.

Tekutey is a resident and according to him "I have been here for the past three days and nothing seem to be moving, these officials come to work late at 8 am and closes at 3 pm. This is quite disheartening. We are pleading for officials to sit up and streamline things here for us" he said angrily.

"My name is Ebenezer Tetter, ever since the process started here, not a single card has been issued and it is so painful. We are supposed to get people with the cards to witness for us but unfortunately, not a single person has received a single card and the network here too is bad; as officials are also playing lackadaisical with their job. We plead on authorities to come to our aid else most of us will be disenfranchised"

At the Mataheko government school also within the Ningo Prampram District, the situation was almost similar as people who have gone through the process from the beginning of the exercise were yet to be issued with the Ghana card. Quite apart from that, the system was also down.

The Assembly member for the Mataheko Electoral Area, Peter Gble Agyeman noted that the system failures at the centre, if not check, will disenfranchise quite a number of residents.

According to him, the three machines given the centre have all broken down except one.

"At this centre we were given three machines here but unfortunately, two out of the three are broken down and we are only managing just one machine. We were told that the one machine is supposed to register 30 people a day so you can imagine how many people are being cut off as a result of the inefficiencies here".

The next point of call was the Divine Healers center at Saki in the Kpone Katamansu Municipality. As at 2pm there were scores of residents who were still seen around the registration centre who shared similar complaints.

However, at Ashaiman, at a centre called Agyiri Nyarko, the news team was told that the syatem failure has affected the turnout.