National Identity: Applicants decry slow pace of registration at Gwagwalada

Some applicants in Gwagwalada, FCT, have decried the slow pace at which registration for the National Identity Card was being carried out at the centre.

Some applicants, who spoke with our reporter on Wednesday, at the Gwagwalada National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Gwagwalada Centre, described the process as slow and frustrating.

They claimed that some of them even had to contribute N200 each to the NIMC officials, to enable them buy fuel for generator and data to speed up the process.

It was also observed that most of the people at the centre, were seen breaching the COVID-19 protocols imposed by the Federal Government to help prevent spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

It was reported that some people were sighted without face masks, while many others were also not observing social distancing.

Mr Silas Zakka, said government should create an App that would ease registration for people instead of going to NIMC office to register, adding that this would help reduce crowding and suffering of the people.

“I came here since 5 a.m., so that I can be among the first to be captured, but was told there was a list of people in line for the registration.

“They should try to create an app to register everyone without going to the NIMC office, so many Nigerians are using fingerprint phones and that could reduce the number of people rushing to register,” Zakka said.

Mr George Gaza, who also spoke with NAN, said: “The government should halt this mandatory NIN registration process at least till after the pandemic; or it should setup a digital platform.”

Miss Bridget Kure, on her part, said she had been on queue since early hours of Wednesday, but was yet to be captured, and begged for an alternative way of capturing to reduce the hardships associated with the registration process.

“When I was registering for National ID, I was neither aware nor told to use my two mobile numbers, now NIMC wants all citizens to update their data with all their existing numbers, it is unfair,” Kure said.

Reacting, a NIMC official, who pleaded anonymity, said the commission was using a procedure that could capture only 30 people in a day because of shortage of computers and capturing equipment.

The official said only two computers were made available to the office to capture thousands of people in Gwagwalada Area Council.