People forced to sleep at registration centres to acquire the Ghana card
Efforts by some Ghanaians to obtain the Ghana Card has led to people being so frustrated to the extent that they had to sleep at the office of the Ghana Revenue Authority at Ring Road, Accra.
The applicants who were mostly comprised of people within the age range of 16 and 75 had to spend the night, some on the floor and others on the chairs in the hope of acquiring the Ghana Card the next day.
They lamented that “the total number of 15 registration in a day gives them a slim chance of getting the national ID.
The Ghana Card is the sole source of identification card required for the re-registration of SIM cards in the country. This has led to an increased demand for the card.
“I came here at 8 pm yesterday [Monday] to sleep here just to register but that never happened. I’m going to sleep here for the second time until I get the card,” one of the persons who slept at the place narrated.
Another applicant also said, “If you don’t stay in the queue till you are attended to and you leave and come the next day, you won’t be part the following day because another queue will be formed and you will miss your place.”
“What they are doing isn’t fair because when you are already in the queue and you leave and return, you will come and meet a new set of people which is very bad and they will tell you weren’t here so you are not part of those who have been numbered,” another applicant also said.
Some NIA officials spoke on the condition of anonymity but corroborated the claims of the applicants.
It has emerged that only four officials are attending to the over 80,000 people in the Ayawaso Central Municipality.
The National Identification Authority commenced operations in the 275 districts and 16 regional offices across the country for Ghana Card registration from November 3, 2021.
NIA in a statement indicated that they will be educating the public on its operations.
“This will also enable newly-appointed officers to familiarize themselves with their various communities and undertake other preparatory activities,” it said.
It is, however, unclear what has led to this situation.
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
