The National Identification Authority (NIA) has suspended its Ghana Card mass registration exercise in the Eastern Region.
The suspension of the exercise followed an interlocutory injunction application filed at the High Court restraining the Authority from continuing with the registration exercise in the region.
A memo circulated to all staff of the NIA on Friday, March 20, 2020, said the registration remained suspended effective Saturday, March 21, 2020 until the final determination of the application for an interlocutory injunction placed on them by the court.
The Head of Corporate Affairs of the NIA, Assistant Commissioner of Immigration (ACI) Francis Palmdeti who signed the memo said “All staff are required to report for work and render proper accounting of registration equipment, materials and consumables in their custody to their Supervising Registration Officers (SROs) with immediate effect.
The memo further required all SROs to “hand over consumables and equipment under their care to their District Registration Officers (DROs) who would confirm the inventory, while awaiting further directives from the Head of Operations, Colonel Peter Kofi Ghansah (RTD).
“After accounting for the registration materials under their control and/or care, all field officials are to return to their regular places of abode until further notice. Additional information will be communicated in this regard,” it said.
Mr Palmdeti also charged all field officers to strictly adhere to the prescribed protocols on preventing the contraction and spread of the COVID-19.
Two Ghanaians, Mark Oliver Kevor and Emmanuel Okrah on Thursday were said to have sued the NIA for not halting the Ghana Card Registration exercise despite the government’s directives ordering all public gatherings to stop, as part of measures to prevent the spread of the corona virus (COVID-19).
They prayed the court to cite the Executive Secretary of the NIA, Professor Ken Attafuah and others for contempt of court.
FROM AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU AGYEMAN, KOFORIDUA
