Lae firms back NID registration

By PISAI GUMAR
MORE than 30 companies in Lae have shown interest in supporting the national identification (NID) card registration by setting up booths where people can register their names.
NID registrar-general Michael Kumung said registration officials in Lae were trained to roll out the programme but there were not enough of them and resulted in long queues.
People from the rural districts are reluctant to travel to Lae because of the long queues.
“The demand is too big and we are unable to meet the challenges. The involvement of more than 30 companies will help us. Together we can manage it,” Kumung said.
The district’s rollout exercise is piloted in Bulolo, beginning at Bugiyau village in Buang.
“The inception of the NID district rollout in Bulolo in its six local level governments will give us ample time to design an apt approach when going into other districts,” Kumung said.
So far 200,000 names have been registered from a targeted 1.5 million people to be registered this year.
The Bulolo rollout will include a mop-up exercise which should take more than a month. “We are taking the service to where the majority of our population is,” Kumung said.
He urged the other 88 district development authorities to ensure the people were registered.