NIA officials 'swerve' parliament over Ghana Card registration

Officials from the National Identification Authority (NIA) on Monday failed to show up at Parliament House to register the country’s Members of Parliament and staff of the House. The NIA had scheduled to register the legislators and others in the ongoing national exercise Monday, but as at 11:00am when TV3 visited the House, there was no indication the exercise was coming on. Officials, according to sources, went to the House last Friday to test their equipment in readiness for today’s exercise but it is unclear what caused their failure to turn up for the exercise Monday morning. “The place was empty with no sign of officials of the NIA. It was just like any other Monday where there are no proceedings on the floor of parliament; MPs were not around,” TV3’s Kwabena Adu-Gyamfi reported. Surprisingly, no single member of parliament was also available for the registration, our correspondent added. The minority members of parliament on Sunday threatened to boycott the national identity card registration exercise, citing legal, procurement and cost concerns. Member of Parliament for Damongo, Adam Mutawakilu who was at the premises to do his administrative duties explained the minority will agree to take part in the process if only the NIA briefs parliament. “So far as we are concerned, whether they are here or not, we are not taking part. If for their personal reason they are not here, that is none of my business. We know that parliament is to meet NIA before we register,” Adam Mutawakilu said. Meanwhile, efforts to get officials of the NIA to explain why they failed to turn up proved futile. By 3news.com| Ghana]]>