Nigeria’s National Identity Commission Orders Shutdown Of Offices Over Corona Virus

The Buhari Administration is shutting down offices of its agency in charge of profiling citizens and issuing identity cards, as part of the country’s response to the deadly corona virus pandemic which has taken the world by storm.

Consequently, the Nigerian National Identity Management Commission, has ordered that its offices in major States be shut down.

A release listed offices in Lagos, Katina, Ekiti, Ogun and Anambra States as bureaus that must be shutdown.

Workers are to stay at home and work from there if possible, with no date stated as to when the offices will open again.

According to the Commission, the closures are important to ensure that the activities of these offices, especially registration and issuance of national identity cards do not become trap situations for spreading the deadly virus which is ravaging the world.

The Nigeria closedowns have resonated in Ghana here because of the National Identity Authority (NIA)’s intransigent stance on an ongoing registration exercise in the Eastern Region which has created gatherings in spite of a ban on public gatherings by President Akufo-Addo.

What has been condemned as the NIA’s recklessness has attracted backlash from bothe the public and other government agencies including the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ.

The Ghana Medical Association and the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) have also condemned the NIA’s posture however, the Authority is still continuing with the registrations as the infection pattern from the corona virus begins to spread among local communities.