NIN Registration Resumes Monday As NIMC Workers Suspend Strike

Twenty four hours after the workers of the National Identity Management Commission commenced an industrial action over the fear of COVID-19 spread in the agency, the Union on Friday suspended the strike.

Findings showed that the workers decided to put the strike on hold after a meeting with the Federal Government, where it was agreed that the demands of the employees would be addressed.

The President, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, NIMC Unit, Asekokhai Lucky, confirmed the suspension of the strike on Friday in Abuja.

He said workers of the commission across the country were being contacted to resume work by Monday and begin the enrolment of citizens for National Identity Numbers

The association had said the decision to embark on the strike action was due to poor funding and exposure of members of staff of the commission to the coronavirus as a result of the registration by Nigerians for NIN.

According to a communiqué issued at the end of the congress meeting of the ACCSN, NIMC branch, the strike had become necessary due to the exposure of staff to COVID-19 risks, lack of personal protective equipment, irregularities in promotion and poor funding.

They also asked to be paid overtime and given enough tools to work with.

It reads in part, “Consequent upon the just concluded congress of the above mentioned association that took place on January 6, 2020, the unit executive directs all members of grade level 12 and below in the head office and state offices to report to their respective duty posts tomorrow January 7, 2020 and do nothing.

“All members at the local government offices and special centres are advised to stay away from their various centres as task force and implementation committees would be on parade to ensure total compliance to the directive.

“Staff members were infected with COVID-19 and adequate measures have not been taken to curtail the spread. The meeting resolved that safety of staff should be prioritised. Furthermore the office environment should be fumigated immediately.

“The congress agreed that the NIMC staff salary structure approved by the Federal Government vide Presidential assent be implemented in the personnel appropriation of the 2021 annual budget effective January 2021.

“The lopsided and irregular promotion done in 2017 should be reviewed, regularised and gazetted in accordance with public service rules.”

The Nigerian Communications Commission had last month asked all telecoms firms to disconnect the SIM cards of all persons who have not integrated their National Identity Numbers with their phone lines by the end of January.

Currently, over 100 million Nigerians have yet to do so which has caused huge crowds to gather at the various offices of NIMC in breach of the COVID-19 protocol.