Fresh crisis over NIN registration, NIMC staff embark on national strike

Fresh crisis has emerged over the National Identity Number (NIN) registration which the federal government has issued deadline for conclusion. This nis not unconnected with the commencement of national strike by the staffers of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the agency responsible for the registration.

Citizens who turned out for registration at various registration centres on Thursday were frustrated as the gates of the agency’s offices were locked in several states, noticeably, Lagos, Abuja, Benue, Bauchi, Taraba, Cross River, etc.

While citizens turned out in thousands for registration at the NIMC offices as early as 8.00am, NIMC workers declined attending to them, explaining that they are on strike fighting for better welfare packages from the Federal Government.

The workers also complained that the federal government exposed them to high risk of coronavirus infection following the large crowd that gather at their premises for registration. They protested that they work daily without protective kits.

In the nation’s capital, Abuja, the staff also complained about inadequate work equipment to protect them from Covid-19 and poor salary structure, among others.

The NIMC workers were gathered to have said that some of their colleagues have been infested by COVID-19 but the Commission ignored them. They further expressed concerns over the continuous undermining of the Covid-19 protocols by the large crowds that struggle daily for registration at the various centres across the country.

Meanwhile, many Nigerians are perturbed that the strike could cause them loss of their telephone lines for failure to link their lines with NIN. The federal government had issued January 29 deadline in December 2020 but the strike may cause serious setback in meeting the deadline.