Extend deadline for national ID exercise

Front Page
21-07-08

RESIDENTS of Kasoa in the Central Region have called for an extension of the deadline of the national identification registration exercise in the region to enable those who have not been able to register to do so.
They said with only three days to go for the end of the exercise in the region, many of the people were yet to register, hence the need to extend the deadline.
In separate interviews with the Daily Graphic over the weekend, the residents, most of whom had not been able to register because of the slow pace of the exercise, said in spite of being in queues, it was yet to get to their turn.
Registration officers of the national identification exercise at Kasoa last Friday called for an increase in the logistics given to registration centres to speed up the registration process.
They said the one computer given to each registration centre to capture the data of individuals was woefully inadequate to cater for the large number of people who thronged the various registration centres every day.
The officers said if the situation remained the same, they would not be able to finish registering the people in the town by the July 23, 2008 deadline.
Auntie Ama Agyeiwaa told the Daily Graphic that although she had been to the registration centre near her house for the past three days she had not been able to register.
“I have been coming here for the past three days with my children but have not been able to register. Uncle, something would have to be done to get all of us registered,” she said.
According to her, last week she had to fight with another resident who attempted to jump the queue, and blamed the problem on the slow pace of the exercise.
A porridge seller, Fauzia Alhassan, wondered why people would have to spend the whole day to register, and stressed the need for not only an extension to the deadline, but the provision of more logistics to ensure a smooth exercise.
She said with only three days to go for the end of the exercise, there would be anxiety on the part of those who had not registered, thereby leading to confusion.
She said apart from the provision of more logistics, there should also be more registration centres to reduce the pressure on the existing centres in the town, adding that that would also reduce the long queues.
A registration officer, Mr Stephen Frimpong-Manso, said although they had to start work at 7 a.m. and close at 5 p.m., he and his other colleagues had to close at 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
That, he said, was to enable him to reduce the large number of people in the queue.
For his part, Anthony Apreku said he would wait till the last day of the exercise before going to register.
“I can’t leave my work and be going and coming every day to register. At least, I can use the last day of the exercise to do that,” he said.