The National Identification Authority (NIA) in Bono Region has said it has issued 11,297 new Ghana Cards to applicants and also registered 4,476 since the reopening of the register for the second phase of the exercise.
NIA Regional Manageress, Frema Yaa Opoku, who disclosed this to DAILY GUIDE on Monday, said the ongoing SIM card registration using only the Ghana Card, has aroused interest in the acquisition of the National Identity Cards.
She said although the second phase has no closing date, applicants are still rushing to the office for the Ghana Card and some even sleep overnight at their offices.
“The second phase started on November 3, last year, and since then we have registered 4,476 and issued out 11,297 cards, which means there are still a lot of people who didn’t have a Ghana Card.”
She said “we used to register 20 applicants daily due to lack of personnel, but now we do 60 per day because new staff have been posted to the regional offices.”
The Regional NIA Boss said that “we are also now registering 15 years and above. One of the requirements is that one of your parents must be a Ghanaian. If an applicant holds dual citizenship he or she must denounce one before he or she is registered,” adding “Foreigners who naturalise maybe through marriage are eligible for the Ghana Card.”
She said they are also replacing lost cards but most of the applicants for this category have been pretending they never had the cards at all and that is unduly delaying the registration process.
“They will come and say they have never acquired the card before and we begin the process only to find out they are already in the system,” she said, adding “we have informed the police to help us arrest such people and henceforth we are going to prosecute them to serve as deterrent.”
“If your card is missing you just say so and we shall tell you what to do,” she said, adding “the registration is free but those who want to change a piece of information on their cards will be required to pay GH¢30 which is yet to begin.”
She revealed there is the construction of a new NIA regional office for Bono and soon the staff will be moved from their current rented premises where there is lack of space.
FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Sunyani