The federal government has been berated for forcing Nigerians to register for the National Identification Number at a time coronavirus is ravaging the country.

Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere described the government’s approach as irresponsible.

The organisation described the exercise as a display of total disregard for the lives of citizens to expose them to the vagaries of coronavirus without any form of protection under these terrible conditions.

The National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, expressed these views in a statement issued on Friday entitled: “NIMC registration amidst COVID – 19 irresponsible.”

Recall that the Federal Government had, on December 14, 2020, ordered telecommunications firms to disconnect telephones lines of subscribers who failed to link their National Identity Numbers to their subscriber identification modules.

Nigerians, who do not have the NIN have been trooping to the NIMC offices, disregarding COVID – 19 protocols such as wearing of face masks and social distancing.

However, officials of the National Identity Management Commission, currently on strike had also complained that they have not been provided with Personal Protective Equipment, while their allowances have not being paid.

Afenifere said, “It is so barbaric and archaic that Nigerians are being exposed to these dangers which shows a lack of critical thinking in leadership when bodies like Google can manage whatever information on people’s phones without having any contact with the owners.

“We challenge the government to respond to the strong allegation by the President of the Association of the Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (NIMC Unit), Lucky Asekokhai, that already the virus had been detected in three officials of the agency at its headquarters with the government doing a cover-up.