Some Nigerians at the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) office in Anambra State on Thursday, have lamented their inability to register and obtain their National Identity Number (NIN).

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the entrance gate into the office was locked as the applicants loitered around.

Some of the applicants who expressed frustration said they arrived at the office as early as 5:30am with the aim of being attended to early, but to no avail.

Mrs Njideka Anumudu, a nursing mother, said she had been visiting the office since last December without being registered.

Anumudu said she has spent over four hours at NIMC just to submit her form and get registered but the gate remained locked and no official was talking to anybody.

“The information we got is that they are on strike,” she added.

Also, one Jideofor Chukwujekwu who came from Onitsha after his previous failed attempts to register at NIMC offices in some local government areas described the exercise as “unnecessary burden on Nigerians.”

Chukwujekwu said NIMC should have enough manpower to register all Nigerians before the deadline.

“It is frustrating and I am getting tired. If they want to freeze our phone lines for not having identification numbers, let them do so.

“People in charge say they don’t have Power supply, they don’t have machines, yet they want to conclude registration this month, “ he lamented.

A NIMC official who identified himself as Austin refused to give details of what the challenges were, but simply said: “We are not working.”

In the same vein, staff of the NIMC, on Thursday, embarked on an indefinite strike over poor funding.

It was gathered that the strike commenced in the early hours of Thursday across the nation.

The President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, NIMC branch, Lucky Michael, confirmed the action.

The Nigerian government had directed telecommunication operators through the Nigerian Communication Commission to block subscribers who fail to link their mobile numbers to their NIN.

The directive said subscribers were given a period of two weeks to link their numbers but was later extended to January 18 2021.

Subscribers without NIN have until February 9 to register and link it to their phone numbers

Mr Michael said members of the association from level 12 and below are directed to resume office and do nothing from January 7.

“Consequent upon the just concluded congress of the above-mentioned association that took place on January 6, 2020, 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, 2020 and do nothing, ” a notice signed by Mr Micheal said.

“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.”

Micheal said the welfare of its members was paramount for the strike to hold, saying they are being exposed to COVID-19 despite all warnings from Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC).

”Some staff have contracted the COVID-19 virus and the management is not doing anything,” he said.

Also, he said workers receive poor remuneration despite the risk they have been exposed to.

“Staff members were infected with COVID-19 and adequate measures have not been taken to curtail the spread. The safety of staff should be prioritised while offices environment should be fumigated immediately.

“The NIMC staff salary structure approved by the Federal Government vide Presidential assent be implemented in the personnel appropriation of the 2021 annual budget effective January 2021.

When asked about calling off the strike, he said the action will end when the government responds to the demands.

“That the lopsided and irregular promotion done in 2017 and 2020 be reviewed, regularised and gazetted in accordance with public service rules.”