The National Identification Authority (NIA) has finally announced it is suspending the mass registration for the Ghana Card indefinitely in the Eastern region.
Interestingly, the decision is coming at a time the High Court has given it the green light to proceed with the registration exercise, after the court dismissed a suit brought against it. The NIA had suspended the exercise pending this ruling, after the mass registration in the region was injuncted.
But the NIA in a statement on Friday said, “The decision to suspend the registration follows a careful assessment of the exercise in the region so far.”
Read: Shocker! Court refuses to stop NIA mass registration exercise despite covid-19
It however welcomed the dismissal by the High Court of the interlocutory injunction application and the substantive suit.
According to the Authority, it has made a careful assessment of the registration exercise carried out in the Eastern Region between Wednesday, 4th March 2020 and Friday, 20th March 2020.
“It also takes into account the current trend in the spread of COVID-19 in Ghana since the suspension of the mass registration exercise on Saturday, 21st March 2020, following the service on the NIA of an interlocutory injunction application,” the statement explained.
“Nonetheless, NIA will continue to suspend its mass registration operations in the Eastern Region until further notice.”
It said the period of suspension would be used to continue with NIA’s preparations toward the establishment of its Regional, Municipal and District Offices and arrange for the co-location of its registration services at some of its cognate institutions such as National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), among other responsibilities.
“Meanwhile, NIA will continue to observe developments relating to the management of COVID-19 in Ghana and will determine, at the appropriate time, when and how to resume its mass registration operations.”]
The decision to suspend the exercise is however not surprising to many following the numerous calls from the Ghana Medical Association, the clergy, and civil society groups among others on the Authority to put the exercise on hold.
Source: 3news.com | Ghana