TRENDING: Nigerians react as crowds storm NIMC centres, breach COVID-19 protocol for NIN

There has been an uproar on social media, particularly on Twitter, following the breach of coronavirus protocols by hundreds of Nigerians who visited the offices of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) on Monday to get their National Identity Number (NIN).

There are trending pictures of large crowds at the Alausa office of the NIMC in Lagos and Port Harcourt in Rivers State.

PREMIUM TIMES observed that most of the people at the Alausa NIMC office were seen breaching the recent COVID-19 protocols recently imposed by the state government.

While some wore no face masks, many were not observing physical nor social distancing, an act that is a threat to efforts by the government to tackle the spread of the deadly virus which has been on rise in the last two weeks.

A Twitter user, @prinzgbemi, who shared photos of the NIMC office in Alausa, said the breach of government protocol was happening five minutes away from the governor’s office.

The rise in the number of persons visiting NIMC offices followed the directive of the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) that telecommunications service providers should block subscribers who refuse to register for NIN within two weeks.

While members of the House of Representatives urged the NCC to extend its ultimatum to block phone numbers without NIN by 10 weeks, the director-general of the National Identity Management Commission, (NIMC), Aliyu Abubakar, told PREMIUM TIMES last Friday there was no extension for the announced deadline.

In the same vein, Lagos Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who is currently battling with coronavirus, announced last weekend that large crowd be banned to ensure the state is safe from the second wave of the pandemic.

Some night clubs were reportedly sealed off on Saturday by the government for flouting coronavirus safety protocols.

The large crowd witnessed at NIMC offices on Monday has triggered furore on social media and many also accused NIMC officials of demanding bribe from them.

Please when do they plan on blocking the SIM card of some of us coconut heads who don't have NIN and have refused to go and register with NIMC. They should tell us so we put our affairs together and prepare to give our farewell speech.

— Kelvin Odanz (@MrOdanz) December 21, 2020

NIMC office at Alausa this morning, omo… pic.twitter.com/gouM8C3gVf

— Aremu Pokipoki (@prinzgbemi) December 21, 2020

Dear @DrIsaPantami and @FMoCDENigeria, here is a picture of Lagosians at NIMC center this morning in a period when we have a second wave of Covid-19.

Can you please halt this mandatory NIN registration process at least till after the pandemic or setup a digital platform? https://t.co/IwckWQysBQ

— Wale Adetona (@iSlimfit) December 21, 2020

They canceled all concerts because of Covid-19 but here's NIMC, a government office filled with hundreds of people.
This government is tactless!!! pic.twitter.com/FdmSHaHdkR

— Victor Babatunde (@vhic_tore) December 21, 2020

https://twitter.com/DrOlufunmilayo/status/1340998271578337286?s=19

The scene yesterday at the NAIA, Abuja @hadisirika. This happened to people who squeezed out 100k or more for tickets. Imagine what'll happen at NIMC centres when @DrisaPantami's brainwave begins. Thanks for helping COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/iD1yhOz0m2

— Chuks Akunna (@akunnachux) December 21, 2020

https://twitter.com/partyjollof_/status/1340965554748874752?s=19

When I tell una say na #idiots dey rule us, una go say I too brutal. Of all times, is this the best time to allow people cluster like this? With the rising number of COVID-19 infection in Lagos, here is NIMC office, Alausa, Lagos State. pic.twitter.com/7QGtAa3bbn

— FS Yusuf (@FS_Yusuf_) December 21, 2020

Right now, there's mammoth crowd at the NIMC office at Alausa because of the NIN registration policy of the Federal Government. Meanwhile, government has already budgeted over N540bn for COVID-19 vaccines. I think the government knows what its doing.

— Tope Akinyode (@TopeAkinyode) December 21, 2020

https://twitter.com/ImportedAlhaji/status/1340923950407278593?s=19

https://twitter.com/timiPR/status/1339172823349284864?s=19

https://twitter.com/o_kanyy/status/1340983831118098435?s=19

https://twitter.com/rereayodele/status/1340974678681260032?s=19