Thousands of Nigerians today ignored the Federal Government directives on COVID-19 protocols as they converged at NIMC office Orita , Ibadan to secure their NIN as the date given by the NCC for all registered sims draws closer
CKN News observed that most of those at the venue neither had facemasks , hand sanitizers or kept social distancing
They expressed ignorance that the deadline for the sim cards registration which was initially scheduled to end on Thursday 31st December 2020 has been extended by few weeks
Meanwhile , the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has adopted booking for the National Identity Numbers (NIN) to avoid the spread of COVID-19 pandemic at registration centres across the country.
According to a statement by its spokesman, Kayode Adegoke, personal information would be collected for scheduling an enrolment appointment.
The statement warned citizens not to give personal information other than what is required by the booking register.
Adegoke explained that the recent Federal Government’s policy which requires mobile network subscribers to update their SIM registration with a valid National Identification Number (NIN) has occasioned a huge demand for the NIN with a crowd visiting the NIMC Enrolment Centres nationwide.
Mindful of the second wave of the COVID-19, which continues to severely affect public health and cause unprecedented disruptions, the Commission wishes to announce that it has adopted a couple of measures to contain the spread of the virus while ensuring its services to Nigerians are not entirely interrupted, Adegoke stated.
The NIMC spokesman said: “Effective December 30, 2020, attending to applicants would be based on Booking System. For bookings, applicants are to visit any of the NIMC Offices closest to them during stipulated business hours (9 am – 1 pm).
“Although the policy has been in place since 4th February 2020 applicants are now crowding all the centres. Personal Information would be collected for the sole purpose of scheduling an enrolment appointment. Please do not include any personal information other than what is required by the booking register.
“Once admitted into the office, a Number-Issuing queue management system will be in place to ensure orderliness and strict adherence to COVID-19 Protocols.
“As a responsible Commission, we fully understand that safety comes first, as such, only individuals with facemask would be allowed entrance into our premises.
“We urge the general public to cooperate with us as we work assiduously to respond to the new normal.”