A STEP IN THE WRONG DIRECTION

National Identification Authority (NIA) over the years hsa been one organisation I developed love for because of their zeal to make all citizens to be recognised as a part of the nation. But that love is gradually fading over the inconsistency with issues of national interest. The first been the registration of Ghanaians unto the Ghana card somewhere 2011/2012. This came as a relief and also the timing though bad, people had to leave their various activities to get registered with political activities also on the rise. Till now, nobody can tell the whereabouts of those cards as many did not get their copy coupled with the amount and accountability of invested resources.
The interest of this piece is not on the huge sum of money that is been invested in the current Ghana card project. Huge as it is, how much profit will it fetch the ordinary citizen on the street?  $1.22 billion from a registration process is outrageous and incomprehensible looking at the economic status of our country and comparing our population to The People's Republic of India that used $127 million for similar project. A stated earlier, the focus is not substantially based on the amount but rather on the registration identification materials permissible to be used as proof for registration.
Admissibly, every citizen need to possess a birth certificate and/or a Ghanaian passport but most will agree that the system is so bureaucratic that getting either of them is a whole lot of issue.
Following arguments by NIA officials, Ghanaian birth certificate and passport were opted for because it is believed that foreigners will not be given the permissible accessibility to own one or all of these requirements. This argument is weak in the fact that in this country it is no hidden fact that Lebaneses, Togoleses and Burkinabes are in possession of of these two requirements just like the Voter's ID card. Therefore the argument that Voter's ID card is not been considered because majority of foreigners own one is flawed and further arguments could be that it means our legislature and executive arms of government who approved of such amount were given the power they possess with the help of foreigners since it was the Voter's IdlD cards that were used as an identification material to vote.
Therefore, it will appropriate if the authorities of NIA will consider the honest plea of some section of the country and allow for the use of the Voter's ID cards as a part of the identification materials so as to get majority if not all Ghanaians to register unto the Ghana Card.