NIN registration: Ago Ireti residents cry for help
By Saheed Ibrahim
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As the February 9 deadline given by the Federal Government for citizens to get registered for the National Identity Number (NIN) and link their mobile lines draws closer, the residents of Ago Ireti in Ondo state have called for consideration and help.
Ago Ireti is a community that houses people suffering from Leprosy in the state.
While speaking with The Hope, the spokesperson and Secretary to the Community, Tunji Oluwatimilehin lamented that they had tried all their best to register but to no avail.
He said they could not afford to lose their mobile numbers as that were the only sources of communication they had, disclosing that this has resulted to panic among the dwellers of the community.
“We have been to their office to register but we could not. We also went to the one close to the palace to queue. After a long day, when it got to our turn and they saw our fingers, they said the machine that could capture our fingers was at the Headquarters.
“Now we have few days left and our SIM cards are the only communication channel we have to contact our people. If they are blocked, it means we have been cut off from our people. It is a big dilemma for us and we do not know which way to go again”, he lamented.
When contacted via his mobile number, the Director, National Identification Management Commission (NIMC) in Ondo State, Wale Agbotoba, replied via a text message that “We shall take care of them. They should please be patient”.
The deadline given for those with NIN to link their registered lines was January 19 while those without the NIN were given February 9 to get the NIN and link their mobile lines.
Latest reports showed that the NIMC and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) insisted the February 9 deadline has not changed but awaiting further directive from the Federal Government.