Workers at the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) have begun an indefinite strike over lack of funding and exposure to COVID-19 in the course of the current exercise.
The Nigerian Communications Commission had last month ordered telecommunication companies to deactivate SIM cards of all persons who have not linked their National Identity Numbers with their phone lines by the end of January.
The directive had prompted Nigerians to troop into NIMC offices and other designated outlets as over 100 million Nigerians have yet to get their identification numbers.
The notice of strike was signed by the President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, NIMC branch, Lucky Michael, and its Secretary, Odia Victor.
The notice said, “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 task force and implementation committees would be on parade to ensure total compliance to the directive.”
According to a communiqué issued at the end of a congress meeting of the ASCSN, NIMC branch, the strike became necessary due to exposure of workers to COVID-19, lack of personal protective equipment, as well as irregularities in promotion and poor funding.