Thousands of applicants were stranded in various offices of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) as the operating staff in them embarked on nation-wide strike, seeking ffor improved service conditions and proper protection against coronavirus infecstion
In Abuja, many of the applicants who arrived as early as 8 am were locked outside the commission’s office, while officials discussed the strike in hush voices.
It was gathered that the president of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, NIMC branch, Lucky Michael, and its Secretary, Odia Victor, jointly signed the strike notice.
The notice reads in part: “Consequent upon the just concluded congress of the above-mentioned association that took place on January 6, 2021, 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, 2021, and do nothing.
“All members at the local government offices and special centres are advised to stay away from their various centres as a task force and implementation committees would be on parade to ensure total compliance with the directive.”
A communiqué issued at the end of the congress meeting of the ACCSN, NIMC branch however noted that the strike had become imperative considering the risks involved in the on-going registration due to the exposure of staff to risks associated with coronavirus.
The union argued that lack of personal protective equipment, irregularities in the promotion and poor funding of NIMC are part of the issues leading to the strike.
The congress of the union also insisted that adequate measures should be taken to curtail the spread of coronavirus while maintaining that their doors are opened for dialogue.
The congress further resolved that the safety of staff should be prioritised, and their offices nationwide should be fumigated immediately due to the surge in the numbers of applicants.
However, attempts by our correspondent to clarify the position of the management on the strike-through the spokesman of NIMC, Kayode Adegoke proved abortive as he failed to pick several calls made to him.
