Applicants for the Ghana Card have resorted to ‘ghosting” in winding queues for their turns at the designated centres in Ho.

This is attributed to the fact that the National Identification Authority (NIA) shortened its decision to undertake the exercise in the region for three weeks instead of four weeks as announced initially.

The applicants, who alleged are trying to avoid payment for the same Ghana Card after the mass registration exercise have adopted trooping to the centres with some having to stay overnight to have an advantage the following day.

Some applicants told the Ghana News Agency of harrowing experiences including; sleeplessness, mosquito bites and other discomforting events of having to stay overnight.

Kwami Ametor, an applicant said he joined a queue at about 2200 hours on Tuesday and was the 31st with Gabriel Asinku, getting there at 0300 hours at another centre and was the 85th.

Dr Archibald Letsa, Volta Regional Minister has described the surge at the various NIA registration centres for the acquisition of the Ghana Card as panic reaction.

He said the exercise would continue beyond the period at designated NIA District offices to be established after the mass registration exercise, free of charge and urged the “Public to discount allegations of the exercise attracting a fee afterwards.”

Dr Letsa said this at the first Council conference of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council meeting in Ho.

Mr Kenneth Kponor, Volta Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) said “There was no need to subject themselves to hazards including; sleeping at the centres.”

He said applicants would only pay fees in terms of replacements for lost cards and the likes.

Meanwhile, Professor Kenneth Agyeman Attafuah, Executive Secretary of NIA, during a media briefing programme to kick start the exercise in the region, announced that it would last for four weeks in the region.