National ID Card: Consultant Calls For Deadline Extension

L-R: Director, International Press Centre (IPC), Lanre Arogundade, NAWOJ President, Mrs Ifeyinwa Omowole and National President, NUJ, Mr Abdulwaheed Odusile, at the public presentation of Reportage of 2015 Elections: A Monitoring Scorecard of Print and Online Media in Abuja, yesterday.

As the September
deadline for the commencement of the usage of the new National Identity Card, draws closer, the Federal Government has been called upon to create more awareness as to fully alert the people about its plans.
The General Manager, Avid Media consultants, Mr Godwin Tunde, made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, Tuesday.
He noted that poor awareness campaign of the Federal government’s programmes was part of the reasons Nigerians play down on such activities.
Tunde who recalled the suffering of Nigerians during the BVN era, said such situation would have occurred if the federal government, through its agencies gave if the required attention.
He said the September deadline may not hold if adequate enlightment campaign programme was not carried out in that regard.
He pointed out that the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), must play a leading role, if the programmed must be saved.
The media consultant, argued  that until the importance of the National Identity card was stressed more people would not participate in it.
He recalled that the near failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC), card readers was as a result of poor awareness campaign.
As a way out, he called on the federal government to at least extend the project to the first quarter of next year in order to enable the relevant agencies do more home work towards its success.
The Tide reporter, who monitored  activities at the National Identity Management Commission’s office in Port Harcourt, gathered that the area now hosts more people than before due to the fast approaching September deadline.