Hopes of thousands of citizens in Edo State to register for their National Identity Number(NIN) ahead of February 9 deadline to link their NIN to their phone SIM numbers seem to have been dashed with the strike embarked upon by staff of the National identity management commission NIMC.
The citizens who expressed tacit support for the strike hinged on several challenges facing the workers; called for a quick resolution to enable them to register to meet up with a Federal Government directive to link their NIN to their SIM cards as soon as possible.
The head office of the National Identity Management Commission in Edo State was deserted on Friday when AIT visited.
On Wednesday, a crowd of people struggled endlessly outside to be enrolled unaware of the strike by NIMC workers.
Disappointed by the situation; those who came to be registered on Friday called on relevant government authorities to meet the demands of the NIMC workers to enable them to continue with the registration exercise aimed at checking security challenges in the country.
Some NIMC staff seen on the ground expressed regrets over the strike aimed at prevailing on the Federal Government to meet with various challenges facing the commission including the non-provision of Personal Protective Equipment against Covid-19; salary arrears, promotion, and inadequate working tools.
Also Read: Edo state residents plead for extension of NIN registration
Recall that the Nigerian Communications Commission had last month asked all telecommunications firms to disconnect SIM cards of people who had not integrated their National Identity Numbers with their phone lines.
( Editor: Omor Bazuaye)
