The National Identification Authority (NIA) has suspended the halted Ghana Card mass registration exercise in the Eastern Region until further notice.
According to the Authority, “This decision follows a careful assessment of the registration exercise carried out in the Eastern Region between Wednesday, 4th March 2020 and Friday, 20th March 2020.”
NIA in a statement signed by Head of Corporate Affairs, Francis Palmdeti sighted by Awake News, said “The decision to suspend the registration follows a careful assessment of the exercise in the region so far. 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 mass registration exercise was ongoing when the President of Ghana issued a directive banning all social gatherings to help stop the spread of the dreaded coronavirus. Despite the directive, the NIA continued the exercise which usually has a huge number of people in cues.
This generated a public outcry with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice issuing a statement calling on the President of Ghana to call the NIA to order adding that people in the region have rights to health.
CHRAJ call was followed by legal action at the High Court in Accra by two citizens, Emmanuel Ackumatey Okrah and Mark-Oliver challenging the decision by the NIA to defy the President’s directive. The suit also cited a possible violation of their right to health should the registration continue on the face of the spread of the disease.
The High Court granted the injunction being sort by the applicant forcing the NIA to suspend the exercise on March 21, 2020.
However, the Deputy Attorney-General, Godfred Dame went back to court to set aside the injunction for which the High Court today presided over by Justice Anthony Oppong Court held that the application for an injunction is based on a grievous error and misunderstanding of the President’s social distancing directive. The court then proceeds to dismiss the substantive case as well.
“The NIA welcomes the dismissal by the High Court of the interlocutory injunction application and the substantive suit.”
NATIONAL IDENTIFICATION AUTHORITY
27th March 2020
To All Media Houses
For immediate release
INDEFINITE SUSPENSION OF MASS REGISTRATION IN THE EASTERN REGION
The National Identification Authority (NIA) announces the indefinite suspension of the mass registration exercise in the Eastern Region until further notice.
This decision follows a careful assessment of the registration exercise carried out in the Eastern Region between Wednesday, 4th March 2020 and Friday, 20th March 2020.
The decision to suspend the registration follows a careful assessment of the exercise in the region so far. 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 NIA welcomes the dismissal by the High Court of the interlocutory injunction application and the substantive suit.
Nonetheless, NIA will continue to suspend its mass registration operations in the Eastern Region until further notice.
NIA will use the period of suspension to continue with its 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.
SGND: ACI. FRANCIS PALMDETI
HEAD, CORPORATE AFFAIRS, NIA
By: Efo Korsi Senyo / awakenewsroom.com
