Accra, Jan. 10, GNA - The Member of Parliament (MP) for Odododiodioo, Mr. Jonathan Nii Tackie-Komme has called on Ghanaians to patronize the National Identification Exercise.

He said that the exercise would enable government to know the number of citizens and non-citizens in the country so that it could plan and execute development projects.

Mr. Tackie-Komme was speaking at a meeting of members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the constituency in Accra on Saturday. The MP noted that the exercise would also among other things enable government to reliably provide services, ensure public safety and protect their rights of citizens.

He explained that even though the exercise was not an electoral registration, it was a very important national assignment and called on the people to ensure that all those who were 15 years and above registered on their own while those from the age of six did that with the assistance of their parents and guardians. Mr. Tackie-Komme said the exercise would cut down identity verification process and the inconveniences they created in places such as the banks and facilitate the issuance of documents like driving licenses and passports. He stressed that it was mandatory for citizens and non-citizens legally resident in the country to be registered and have their identity established.

Mr. Tackie-Komme said that apart from national planning purposes, the key uses of the nationwide identity system were civil administration, law enforcement, business and corporate transactions, revenue collection, passports, birth, deaths and marriage registrations. Mr. Daniel Nii Okai, Constituency Chairman, said that even though the area had 106 polling stations during the electoral registration exercise, centres for the national identity cards had been reduced to 66 for the exercise.

He said the key information required for the 10-day exercise, which begins on Monday, were personal information, fingerprints, photographs and verification documents including birth certificates, baptismal certificates and sown affidavits in lieu of birth certificates and passports. Mr Okai explained that the exercise had been conducted in other areas of the country and said it was now the turn of the Greater Accra Region. He said that the national identification card would completely eliminate the possession of multiple identity documents and verifies the identity of individuals who qualify to benefit from schemes such as the National Health Insurance Scheme and called on the people to patronize the exercise.