By Saio Marrah
The Acting Speaker of Parliament, Sengepoh Solomon Thomas, of constituency 089, Bonthe district, has on Wednesday 7th July, 2021, instructed the Clerk of Parliament to summon Mohamed Maasaquoi, the Director General (DG) of the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA).
The call is for him to address concerns raised by members of parliament for the extension of the ongoing National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) registration process in the Southern Province, as well as to determine whether to suspend the process for a month to contain the third wave of the coronavirus disease.
The registration exercise started on the 6th March 2021 in Freetown and various dates were scheduled for other parts of the country. The intended date of closure was on the 15th March 2021, but was extended for a further one week to allow residents complete the process. According to officials of NCRA, the exercise is aimed at collecting accurate information of residents in Sierra Leone.
The Acting Speaker of Parliament, Sengepoh Thomas said, “Mr. Clerk, please summon the NCRA Director General here. Let him be here tomorrow (Thursday) not later than 10 a.m.”
In her submission, Neneh Lebbie of constituency 086, Bo District, said the deadline for the registration exercise in the southern region is supposed to be on the 7th July 2021 and that most people were yet to be registered. She therefore called for an extension date.
“As the registration exercise is going on… you will realize that we still have more people everywhere in my district and today is the deadline. I am pleading on behalf of my people in Bo district for an extension,” she said. She noted that people are always crowded in queues at the registration and verification centers across the district.
However, another member of parliament, Abdul Karim Kamara of constituency 059, Kambia district, called for the suspension of the registration process for a month. This he said is because of the crowd especially in the southern region, where the exercise is ongoing amidst the third wave of the COVID which has caused President Julius Maada Bio to institute new measures including a ban on congregational worships across the country.
However the NCRA boss didn’t show up yesterday as was demanded, his absence the acting speaker told MPs was a result of him traveling out of Freetown. He said he has still asked Massaquoi to formally write the House about his absence.
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