NIA Cannot Be Blamed For Ghana Card Challenges - NIA PRO

The National Identification Authority (NIA) has indicated that it's taken notice of the challenges Ghanaians are facing in the registration and issuance of their Ghana card.

Speaking to Nana Yaw Kesseh in an interview on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', the Head of Corporate Affairs of the NIA, Abdul Ganiyu, noted that it's not the intention of the Authority that the lot of Ghanaians wanting their Ghana cards will go through such challenges as joining long queues with others not having the opportunity to even fill a registration form among others.

He pledged that the NIA will soon address all the challenges to make the process easier and less stressful for the citizenry.

''With all the challenges, we have come this far. Of course, it's not in our interest that the NIA is in the news daily and you calling me to explain all the time and so forth. If everything goes well, I believe all conversations in the media about NIA can stop . . . So, by all means, with the measures we have put in place, very soon the situation will stabilize," he said.

Mr. Ganiyu, however, stressed that the NIA cannot be blamed for the challenges as he applauded the Executive Director of the NIA, Prof. Ken Attafuah and the Authority stating, despite taking recognition of the problems confronting the citizens in the acquisition of the Ghana card, the NIA has done exceptionally well in ensuring all Ghanaians obtain their cards.

He rather laid the blame on Ghanaians saying some stayed unconcerned during the mass registration in 2019 thinking they were joking when the signs showed that the Ghana card will one day be used for everything, and this, to him, has accounted for the huge numbers trooping into their offices.

''During mass registration and the mop-up registration, we could go to a registration center and the whole day, only about five or ten people had gone there. So, we were wasting national resources or what? We have brought the registration center very close to you that we beg you, come and register for Ghana card but there was every indication, through the announcement we gave, that going forward, everything will depend on the Ghana card. So, a time will come that you will go to the bank and they will ask you for your Ghana card, NHIS and so forth, maybe people thought we were joking. So, this is the stage we have reached now. So, this is not something one can blame the NIA for," he said.