By Lukman Olabiyi
Pan-Yoruba socio- political, Afenifere, has slammed President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration over the ongoing National Identity Number (NIN) registration in the midst of the strong second wave of COVID-19.
The group described action of Buhari led administration as the most irresponsible act of governance on display in Nigeria’s history.
Afenifere in a statement issued on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said the ongoing exercise also showed total disregard for the lives of citizens as it exposed them to the vagaries of Coronavirus without any form of protection under these terrible conditions.
The group noted that officials of the commission, who were currently on strike, had also complained that they had not been provided personal protective equipment, while their allowances were yet to be paid.
The group said it was so barbaric and archaic that Nigerians were being exposed to such dangers which showed lack of critical thinking in leadership when bodies like Google, among others can manage whatever information on people’s phones without having any contact with the owners.
“It is so barbaric and archaic that Nigerians are being exposed to these dangers which shows lack of critical thinking in leadership when bodies like Google, etc can manage whatever information on people’s phones without having any contact with the owners,” Afenifere said.
It challenges the government to respond to the strong allegation
by the President of the Association of the Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, NIMC unit, Asekokhai Lucky, in an interview with a national newspaper, that already the virus had been detected in three officials of the agency at its headquarters with the government doing a cover- up.
The pan- Yoruba group said the workers were annoyed because the management of the Commission was aware of the development, but kept it away from workers, who could have taken necessary precautions to protect themselves.
This was just as the group also noted that the Chairman of the ASCSN, NIMC Unit, Abakaliki, Edene Chukwudi, also told a newspaper correspondent that three workers of the commission had been infected with COVID-19.
It will be recalled that the Federal Government had, on December 14, 2020, ordered telecommunications firms to disconnect telephones lines of subscribers who failed to link their National Identity Numbers (NIN) to their subscriber identification modules.
This development had witnessed Nigerians, who do not have the NIN, trooping to the NIMC offices, disregarding COVID-19 protocols such as wearing of face masks and social distancing.