NID to be rolled out in Esa’ala, says Steven

THE national identification (NID) project will be rolled out in Esa’ala, Milne Bay, says MP Davis Steven.
He said the district development authority (DDA) decided to bring in the NID service in 2021 mainly to facilitate the processing of the first batch of workers to be considered for the seasonal workers’ programme in Australia.
“While in the district, the DDA has arranged to get all ward members, public servants and local SMEs to be registered under NID,” Steven said in a statement on his Facebook page yesterday.
“All citizens in 88 wards will be given the opportunity to register with NID too; we hope to cover the entire electorate within three months.”
He said the NID programme would complement the district’s initiative to bring banking services to the people through a partnership with the Women’s Micro Finance Limited.
Steven said it was costly for people from his district to travel to Alotau to apply for their NID cards.
“After the initial contact, people are expected to keep checking until the card is released,” he said.
“This has become a nightmare for our people, many have given up on the idea.”