From Segun Amure, (The New Diplomat’s Abuja Bureau)
Minister of State Health, Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora on Monday said that the National Identification Number (NIN) enrolment may be put on hold to curtail the spread of Covid-19 as cases continue to escalate nationwide.
Mamora while featuring on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme said, “I don’t feel good looking at the picture where people are gathered in multitude; it’s like a superspreader event which we don’t like. But I’m also aware that the relevant ministry which is the communications and digital economy is looking at this.”
“My understanding is that the whole process may be suspended so as to reorder the whole process in terms of management of the crowd because it was never intended that it would become a rowdy process like that.” he said.
Also, he added that, “We have a duty as government to ensure that people are protected; we also have a duty to ensure people comply within the limit of what is good for the society at large.”
It would be recalled that the National Task Force on NIN and SIM Registration in a meeting held on the 21st December, 2020 had extended the NIN enrolment excerise by 3-6 weeks respectively.
Regrettably, Nigerians in a bid to comply with the deadlines have gone to various NIN centres with little or zero compliance with the Covid-19 protocols.
However, Mamora beckoned on the National Identity Management Commission to remedy the situation of large crowds and ensure strict adherence to Covid-19 guidelines at its centres across the country.
