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796,683 Ghana Cards Not Picked Up . . . Someone Insisted We Pay Him Before Collection - NIA Boss Discloses

Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Prof. Ken Attafuah says over 700,000 printed Ghana Cards which are to be collected are lying idle at their various Regional and district offices.

Speaking to Kwami Sefa Kayi in an interview on Peace FM's morning show "Kokrokoo", the NIA boss explained that the distribution of the cards has delayed due to the behavior of the applicants and some unforeseen challenges confronting the Authority.

According to him, the cards are still in their offices because the applicants haven't come to collect them and with some, their cards are lined up in a queue because they either changed their names or gave conflicting data which needs further checks.

"We have registered 17,138,609 Ghanaians as at 3rd August. We have printed 16, 567,460 cards and those that we have issued out their cards to are 15,768,777. With those that we haven't been able to print their cards but have been registered are 571,149. Also, those we have printed their cards but haven't been able to distribute it to them because they haven't come for their cards are 796,683...Their cards are sitting at our Regional and district offices," he revealed.

He added that there are some applicants too who haven't received their cards because they have engaged in double registration.

"The law says we should make sure that the data that is given to us that we capture in the database permanently is accurate and reliable. So, if it (cards) stays in the queue which is translated as logical and technical queue . . . it has to be investigated on a case by case basis."

He disclosed an instance in the Eastern Region where the NIA called someone who hadn't picked up his card to come for it, but he insisted he got paid before he comes for it.

He, however, encouraged all applicants to go to their offices for their cards.