From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina
Workers and visitors at the Federal Government Secretariat, Katsina, were shocked yesterday morning, as they discovered thousands of women queuing at the office of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) office, demanding for their national identity cards.
Our correspondent, who visited the secretariat, saw thousands of women carrying their babies queuing to register for the national identity cards.
A worker in one of the federal government agencies at the secretariat, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said they were shocked when they reported to work yesterday only to discover the hordes of women in the secretariat.
He added: “These women, with some carrying babies, have made office work difficult because they have taken over the entrance to our offices. Even our toilets have been taken over by them”.
Two of the women, Suwaiba Sokoto Rimam and Halima Lawal Abubakar, told our correspondent that they were mobilized from their villages to come and obtain the identity cards, as according them, government would soon offer them assistance.
“A woman came to our village and mobilized us to come and obtain the identity cards as, according to her, government will soon offer us assistance and as she said only those with these cards will benefit”, one of them explained.
Similarly, some of the women alleged that they were pushed to travel to Katsina and obtain the cards as they were told a philanthropist in Katsina, Alhaji Umar Tata and a popular Katsina businessman, Alhaji
Dahiru Barau Mangal, would soon offer assistance for those with the cards.
When contacted, the coordinator in-charge of Katsina Office of NIMC, said they were not authorized to speak with the press on any matter concerning the exercise.
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