General News of Monday, 26 November 2018
Source: citinewsroom.com
2018-11-26
Professor Ken Attefuah, Acting Executive Director for the NIA
The National Identification Authority (NIA), has extended its pilot registration exercise within the Adentan Municipality of the Greater Accra Region by three more days.
The exercise in Adentan will now end on Wednesday, November 28, 2018.
Registration and instant issuance of the National Identification cards also known as Ghana card, began in Adenta on November 5, 2018.
The exercise experienced some technical challenges as well as issues with digital address codes which was a prerequisite for the registration.
Most applicants ought to have generated their digital addressing codes prior to registration, but visited the registration centres without such codes.
A statement from the NIA said the exercise has been extended for an additional three days, but did not give reasons for the decision.
“The National Identification Authority (NIA), wishes to inform the general public that it will extend the ongoing pilot registration exercise in Adentan Municipality by three (3) days. Accordingly, the pilot registration exercise in Adentan will end on Wednesday, 28th November 2018.”
The statement signed by Head of Corporate Affairs at NIA, Francis Palmdeti, said the exercise will be extended to neighbouring La Nkwantanang/Madina Municipality from 3rd-22nd December 2018.
“The pilot registration exercise in the La Nkwantanang/Madina Municipality will take place as scheduled, i.e., from 3rd to 22nd December 2018,” he added.
104,000 registered at Adentan so far
So far, 104, 000 residents of Adentan have registered and issued Ghana cards out of a population of 113,973.
The NIA prior to exercise at Adentan registered officials at the Presidency, Parliament, former presidents excluding John Mahama as well as some government institutions, giving out over 80,000 cards.
Leadership of the opposition National Democratic Congress had criticized the decision not to accept Voters’ ID cards as proof of citizenship for those applying for the cards.
The NIA per the law backed by parliament, only accepts passports and birth certificates as proof of citizenship.
Commissioners of Oath
Palmdeti in an earlier interview on the Citi Breakfast Show said a number of Commissioners of Oath had been recruited by the judicial service to help in the registration of persons without the necessary documents to proof their citizenship.
“Our requirement mandates that…when you don’t have the necessary documents, you should have a relative who has already registered to vouch for you under oath or two people who know you and can attest to the fact that you do not have the documents must also vouch for you under oath.”