The Ghana Card Registration exercise had to be called off last Friday at Adam Nana, a suburb of Kasoa, after a misunderstanding between National Identification Authority officials and some individuals who the officials claimed were not Ghanaians.
Officials of the Kasoa Divisional Police command had to be called in to restore calm.
Some eyewitnesses who spoke to Citi News said the officials suspected that some individuals did not have proper identification and were thus denied the opportunity to get registered.
“The officials suspected that some of the individuals who visited the centre to get registered did not have the right documents like birth certificates, among others and were turned away.”
Some individuals who spoke to Citi News indicated that they were disappointed at the turn of events at the centre since they have lost the opportunity to get registered on that day.
Sulley Amadu, a resident of Adam Nana, who was at the centre to get registered told Citi News that majority of Moslems were turned away adding that no proper excuse was given for the decision.
“The people are rejecting the Moslems and we don’t understand,” Sulley Amadu complained.
Nafisatu Umaru, one of the individuals who was denied the opportunity to register explained that she had all the necessary requirement needed for exercise but was turned away.
“I provided an old Ghana Card to the agent and he asked me if I am a Ghanaian and I told him I am a Ghanaian then he asked me again where my village is and I told him I come from Nkwanta but I was turned away,” Hafisatu Umaru complained to Citi News.
Background
The National Identification Authority commenced the Ghana Card registration exercise in the Western, Western North and Central Regions on Monday, January 27, 2020.
The 23-day exercise in the three regions would end on February 18, 2020.
On the first day of the exercise, some Ghanaians who visited the various registration centres to take part in the process had their hopes dashed following logistical challenges.
The NIA had registered over 7.2 million people as of January 16, 2020.
The NIA began the mass registration exercise in April 2019 and has so far covered 12 out of the 16 regions in Ghana.
