Hundreds of residents of Ekiti during the week got stranded at the State’s Office of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State capital.
This was just as officials of NIMC in the office have decried an alarming rate at which cases of COVID-19 have been rising among them, attributing the development to the large number of people trooping into their office daily for registration as a result of the rush to link their GSM contacts with the National Identity Number (NIN) in order to meet up with the Federal Government’s ultimatum on the directive.
The NIMC officials therefore called on the Federal Government to urgently come to their aid by providing adequate funding for the Commission and give proper protection of their lives against COVID-19.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a staff of the NIMC in Ado Ekiti, said that they were forced to suspend the registration exercise due to the order they received from the Headquarters of the Commission in Abuja.
According to him, the workers want proper and adequate protection of their lives as COVID-19 cases continue to increase, confirming the need to prioritize their welfare.
His words: “We received information from headquarters that the process of the ongoing registration should be shut down until further notice. This is as a result of increase in COVID-19 cases without protective Equipment for workers.”
In an interview with another staff, Mr. Olumoroti Ayoodun Peter, said “This rushing is manifesting now because many of these people have not yet registered let alone getting their NIN, so for their lines not to be blocked, they have to look for a way of getting the NIN and that is what brought about this crowd.”
While speaking further, he said the enrolment started since 2012, adding that: “people have not been coming for registration, instead they waited till the eleventh hour. We therefore advise that Nigerians should cultivate the habit of responding early to any policy from the government.”
On their parts, Ekiti residents have expressed dissatisfaction over the ongoing strike action by the National Identification Management Commission, which they described as disheartening in its totality.
Meanwhile, the boycott of duties by NIMC officials has been suspended and they are expected to resume work on Monday, January 11, 2021.
Packaged by Emmanuel Adeniran
