Minister inspects distribution of national ID cards
Dr Mustapha Ahmed, Minister of State at the Presidency on Monday visited selected centers designated for the distributions of the National Identification cards in Accra.
The selected areas he visited include Labone, Teshie Estates and La-dadekotopon.
At a press briefing, Mr Ahmed said the visit was to familiarize with the operations of the National Identification Authority (NIA) and inspect the ongoing distribution of the cards.
He said the exercise registered about 3 million cards and were able to distribute about 700,000 cards, adding that, the rest were yet to be distributed.
Mr Ahmed said the authority has decided to embark on a pilot distribution of cards in Accra in some selected areas to find out any possible challenge that might arise.
He debunked the assertion that the exercise was a scam as reported in the media and urged all to disregard the report and go for their cards.
Mr Ahmed expressed satisfaction at the turn-out and appealed to the public to cooperate with the authority to ensure a smooth distribution of the cards.
Mr Prince Martin Peprah, Acting Executive Secretary of NIA, said their outfits is working in collaboration with government institutions, such as the district assemblies and the security agencies to provides a secure environment for the distribution of the cards by staff.
Mr Peprah said claimants are expected to present the collection slips given to them during the registration period, and have their thumb prints verified before the cards will be given out, adding that, those who have misplaced the slips must authenticate their information with the thumb print.
He explained that the process of storing data was very sensitive and that the slightest shift of a person’s head during the photo shot might cause one ear not to appear and therefore lead to non-issuance of a card. Also, inaccurate information could lead to non-issuance of a card.
Mr Peprah said those who detect errors on personal data should report to the authenticating officer immediately at the centre for advice or report in person to the NIA head office or regional office with a letter requesting for the correction with a valid ID card.
He explained that in such circumstance, a person would have another opportunity to re-register at a date to be announced later to correct the inaccuracies or have another picture taken for the issuance of the card.
Ms Adelaide Dorman, Team leader at the La dadekotopon Centre said the exercise has received low publicity since most of the public were not aware of the exercise.
Source: GNA