General News of Monday, 11 October 2021
Source: gna.org.gh
2021-10-11
Kofi Akpaloo with some of the staff
Kofi Akpaloo, 2020 Presidential Candidate of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) says the issuance of the national identity card to Ghanaians should commence from birth.
He said just as it was done in the European countries, a number must be allocated to the newly born babies for use for all transactions throughout the lifetime.
The LPG leader who was having an interaction with staff of the Tema Ghana News Agency said “this allocated number will identify them like the Social Security Number in the United State and the Ireland’s Public Service Number.”
He said even though the National Identification Authority (NIA) had issued ID cards to some Ghanaians aged 15 years and above, he believed the cards would be more effective if the allocation of the numbers started with babies so that over a period of time the next generation would have the needed identity.
He said “everyone must be identified, but they are wasting time with issuing the ID cards, even babies, new born must get it but in Ghana the card is being given to people age 16 years and above.”
Mr Akpaloo said the number would serve so many purposes including; conducting of background checks when renting and engaging in other activities.
According to him, crime was on the surge because people could easily mingle into a society without being identified, a situation that made it easy for people to engage in criminal activities without being apprehended.
Touching on unemployment, he said it was the duty of government to put in place some income support benefits for graduates who were yet to find a job, and unemployment benefit for persons who might have lost their jobs and yet to get another.
He explained that the current situation of leaving people unemployed for years was a security threat as most of them in their quest to make a leaving ended up robbing, defrauding or engaging in other crimes.