Give district breakdown of Ghana card registrants - Ablakwa urges NIA boss
The National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has reminded the executive secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Professor Ken Agyeman Attafuah, to make good his pledge to furnish Parliament with detailed district breakdown of the number of Ghanaians registered for the Ghana Card.
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He said Prof. Attafuah must provide data on the number of Ghana Cards printed per district and those issued with Ghana Cards in each district of Ghana.
Letter of reminder
In a letter dated March 16, 2023 and addressed to the executive secretary to the NIA, Mr Ablakwa reminded the executive secretary of the promise he made to Parliament recently.
“This letter serves as a formal reminder of your pledge in response to my request during Parliament’s Committee of the whole deliberations on Tuesday, February 28, 2023 and which our records would manifestly reflect that you responded by providing prompt assurances that you shall, at the earliest convenience, submit to Parliament data relating to a detailed district breakdown of the total number of Ghanaians registered, the number of Ghana Cards printed per district and those issued with Ghana Cards in each district of Ghana.
“Respectfully, you will recall that following my request to you on the day in issue, you intimated that the data is readily available and that you will proceed to submit same without delay.
It is ,therefore, surprising that more than two weeks since your firm assurances to the Legislature, you are yet to make good your promise,” he said.
Mr Ablakwa indicated that he had no doubt that Prof. Attafuah duly recognised the importance of his request which shall afford MPs the opportunity to disaggregate the global figures Prof. Attafuah presented and to have a better contextual appreciation of the true situation in their respective constituencies.
“My request becomes even more pertinent when we consider your recent interview on Joy FM’s Newsfile, specifically on Saturday, February 25, 2023 where you urged MPs to come to you at the NIA headquarters for what you described as reliable data.
“Your statements suggest quite regrettably that we cannot rely or place much value on what your officers at the district level deliver to us,” he said.
“Nonetheless, your own caution to MPs and the general public not to depend on data from your district officers (be they District Registration Officers or Technical Enrolment Officers) nor place premium on same leaves us with no option, at least in the interim, but to pursue you in the utmost national interest to redeem your pledge to Parliament,” he said.
Submit data
He pointed out that checks he had conducted both on the floor of Parliament and with the Clerk's office had all confirmed that contrary to the NIA boss’s assurances, he had not submitted the requested data.