Nigerians of the Igbo extraction rank among tribes with the highest participation in the ongoing registration and collection of the national identity cards and international passports in the last three months,journalists Sunday investigations have revealed.
This is despite the growing agitation for secession by the Indigenous people of biafra (IPOB) led by Nnamdi Kanu and their sponsors who are pushing for the sovereign state of biafra.
Undaunted by the quit notice issued those of them living in the North by the Coalition of Northern Youth Groups which was withdrawn last Thursday, the Igbos still acquire these items of national identity belonging to the federal republic of Nigeria.
This ostensibly gives credence to President Muhammadu Buhari’s declaration in his nationwide broadcast last Monday that the unity of the country is settled and not negotiable.
It was learnt that Igbos residing in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) go to the National Identity Management Commission [NIMC] in droves to get their national identity cards.
Source at the weekend has as well confirm that despite the agitation for self-actualization and the creation of the biafran state from the five states making up the Southeast Geo-political zone, Igbos are ceaselessly and massively collecting International Passports.
They also collect drivers license and participate in the ongoing voter registration exercise in the FCT, other states and in their home states as well.
A survey conducted by our correspondent at the national identity card registration centers such as the Supreme Court, National Assembly complex, Army and Police Barracks, National Hospital, AMAC, Wuse and Garki markets, Lugbe, Gwarinpa and Kubwa satellite towns showed that Igbos dominate the crowd waiting to be registered.
At the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) at Mabushi in Abuja where the driver’s license registration, renewal and collection exercises take place, there is nothing to confirm that the Igbos are refusing to participate.
In the course of interactions and discussions with officials at the International Passport issuing and renewal section of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) office at the airport road in Abuja, there are also ample evidence to tell that the Igbos are unperturbed by the much touted agitation and the quit notice in the media.
An official at the international passport registration office who spoke to our correspondent said, “What you are talking about does not happen here; all tribes whether Yoruba, Igbo or Hausa travel out of this country for academic studies, business or official trips.
“With what will they travel with, if because of the noise amongst the politicians out there they foolishly refuse to come for the Nigeria international passport?
It was also gathered that in Anambra State which is the melting point of the biafra agitation, people are unfazed and are going with their preparation for the forthcoming gubernatorial election billed for November 18 this year, despite the declaration by the IPOB leader, Kanu, that there will be no governorship election in the state.
According to Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, the South-south National Electoral Commissioner in charge of Edo, Bayelsa and Rivers at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Headquarters in Abuja said the voter registration exercise in Anambra has been a huge success in recent time.
“Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in Anambra State has been a resounding success. We took the CVR exercise from the local government councils to the ward level. The threat by IPOB has not in any way affected the CVR exercise’’,as revealed to journalists Sunday.
Also, in a telephone conversation with our correspondent, INEC deputy director of publicity, Aliyu Bello, said the IPOB declaration has not affected negatively the commission’s preparation for the November 18 poll in Anambra.
He said, “Everybody is going about his or her business as usual. INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu has directed that the registration should be decentralized from the local government headquarters to ward level because every eligible voter there in Anambra was eager to register; hence, that order was made’’.
Anambra State governor, Willie Obiano, had declared two days as public holidays to enable civil servants participate in the voters registration exercise during the Workers’ Day celebration in Awka.
On August 8, 2017, Anambra state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Nkwachukwu Orji disclosed at a stakeholders’ forum that INEC has prepared well and ready to conduct the November 18 governorship election in Anambra state.
Orji stated that a total number of 79, 700 eligible voters were registered during the first phase of the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration exercise, adding that the number skyrocketed to 2,042,548 between July 24 – 28 July, 2017
According to Orji, the commission has approved the devolution of the voter’s registration exercise to the ward level to ensure all eligible persons in the state are registered before the governorship election.
“This is a unique exercise since the Continuous Voter Registration exercise in other states takes place at the local government area levels. Therefore, from Thursday 10 August to Tuesday, 15, INEC would be at designated centres in all the 326 wards in Anambra state to conduct this important exercise”, he added.
On the renewed surge for participation in the national identity card registration exercise, NIMC’s Head of Corporate Communications Unit, Mr Loveday Chika Ogbonna, said effective from January 2018, no issuance of International Passport will be accommodated without NIMC national identification number (NIN).
He said, ‘’NIN is issued by us upon successful registration or enrollment into National Identification Data Base (NIDB). Remember that the Federal Government has directed that all data and bio-metric collation agencies of the government should integrate and harmonize with NIMC so that it becomes sole repository of national data base in the country.
“We have barely over 7 million enrollment two years ago before Engr Aliyu Abubakar Aziz was appointed Director General of the NIMC. But as at today we have enrollment of 19.7 million Nigerians due to schemes the Engr Aziz has introduced. We are in all states and all LGAs with daily resounding participation due to growing awareness of the use of the national identity cards as stated earlier.
“I can tell or give the breakdown of region per region enrollment figures now, but do have my words that the participation in every region without exception is massive and increasing by quantum day after the other’’.
