Popular comedian Atunyota Akpobome (Ali-Baba) has said the Federal Government’s recent directive on compulsory registration for the National Identity Number (NIN) is one of the major reasons some Nigerians believe that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is not real.
TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that government had earlier threatened last year to block SIM card(s) not linked with the NIN of the owner by December 31; a decision it later extended for six weeks following nationwide outrage.
The directive however saw Nigerians turning out in vast numbers at National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) offices for registration but with absolute disregard for the COVID-19 rules of social distancing and compulsory use of face masks.
Ali Baba who recently got infected and survived the terror of the virus stated that the registration exercise came at the wrong time, considering the second wave of COVID-19 in the country and the world at large.
The A-list comedian who spoke Friday (today) on a monitored Channels Television programme believes demanding NIN registration at this time is like supporting the notion that COVID-19 is not real and should not be taken seriously.
“The attitude of the government is also helping to fuel the stories that COVID-19 is not real because if COVID-19 is real, you won’t be talking about people going to do registration for NIN.”
He added, “It is important that people are considered first; when you ask people to go register for NIN, it means that you are endangering the people, it is like inviting them to a beach to come and party.”
Ali Baba noted that Nigeria should have gone past the stage where people would stay in long queues for registration.
He said by asking people to go to the NIMC offices, they stand the risk of getting infected with COVID-19.
According to the comedian, it is important for the government to wake up to its responsibility of protecting the people.
He stated, ”It is not now that you have a pandemic that you should insist on that kind of thing, let pandemic be over; whatever you are waiting for can be done later
“The number of people that are going to become victims of this COVID-19 from going to register will nearly be like people that went to the beach.”
“Government has not really been in the good books of believability for people; then to crown it all, in the face of this second wave you are tell people to do national identification registration and people are going and packing themselves in places,” Ali Baba added.