The opposition National Democratic Congress Deputy Director of IT and Elections, Yayra Koku has strongly underscored the party’s flagbearer, former President John Dramani Mahama’s significant contribution to the development of Ghana’s National Identification Authority (NIA) system.
The National Officer of the opposition party, in a sharp rebuttal, strongly contended that the majority of the entire system operating the current NIA system was facilitated and championed by the erstwhile Mahama and the NDC’s administration.
“The media is to inform and educate listeners and not to misinform the public. I saw a video shared by Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe and some NPP members in which the NDC Chairman for Ayawaso West Wuogon argued that President Mahama initiated the current NIA System and the distribution of cards. Yes, that is true. I have repeatedly challenged NPP members to tell me exactly what they added to the NIA system after the Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) in 2016”.
Yayra Koku, Deputy Director of IT and Elections, NDC
According to Mr Koku, the foundational designs of the current NIA system were completed between 2015 and 2016, following the successful execution of the Foreigner Identification Management System (FIMS) project, a pilot project for registering foreigners in Ghana.
Mr Koku further challenged officials and members of the ruling New Patriotic Party to assert any substantial additions their government has made to the NIA system post-2016 Factory Acceptance Test (FAT).
He argued that the New Patriotic Party’s involvement in the current NIA system primarily revolved around launching an already established system, which they misleadingly attributed to Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
This misrepresentation, Mr Koku contended, overlooks the comprehensive groundwork laid during former President John Dramani Mahama and the National Democratic Congress’s tenure.
Legislative Milestones and Implementation
Furthermore, Yayra Koku, the National Democratic Congress Deputy Director in charge of IT and Elections pointed out that the legislative backbone for the current NIA system, including the passage of Legislative Instrument (LI) 2111), which mandates the Ghana card as the compulsory identity document for transactions, was achieved under former President John Dramani Mahama.
Additionally, Mr Koku posited that former President John Dramani Mahama, while in office issued a moratorium prohibiting government agencies from purchasing any Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), mandating reliance on the NIA instead.
“By the way, let me clarify this. The host of the show intervened, asking, ‘If Mahama started it, what was Attafuah doing at NIA in 2006?’ That claim by PeaceFM’s host Nana Yaw is completely false”.
Yayra Koku, Deputy Director of IT and Elections, NDC
Contrary to claims that Mr. Ken Attafuah was involved with the NIA as early as 2006, Mr Koku clarified that Professor Ernest Dumor was the first executive secretary, serving from the inception of the NIA Act in 2006 until his retirement in July 2008, adding that Mr. Kenneth Attafuah, the current Executive Secretary of the NIA was appointed thereafter, on July 31, 2008.
In addition, Mr. Koku emphasized the importance of accuracy, especially when correcting public information.
He criticized Nana Yaw Kese’s attempt to misinform listeners and urged media hosts to strive for factual reporting.
The National Democratic Congress Deputy Director in charge of IT and Elections, Mr Koku provided photographic evidence to support his claims, including an image of Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s 2017 visit to the NIA, where he was briefed on the existing system.
He also provided another image that highlighted the technical committee report, established by Dr Bawumia and the New Patriotic Party administration upon assumption of power in 2017, which recommended continuing with the system completed under former President John Dramani Mahama’s administration.
Mr Koku, concluded by underscoring the substantial contributions made by former President John Dramani Mahama and the National Democratic Congress towards the operationalization of the National Identification Authority, challenging the perceived NPP’s narrative of overall credit.
READ ALSO: Ghanaian Musicians Urged To Seek Alternative Income Sources
