NIDA issues ultimatum for people to collect IDs

According to the authority, failure to utilise the issued period will push them to walk to district offices in their respective regions to get the IDS.

NIDA’s head of communications department, Godfrey Tengeneza made the call in Dar es Salaam yesterday during the opening of journalists’ training on how to report crime and operations of the Home Affairs Ministry and the authority.

He said that the distribution of IDs for this phase will involve citizens in the regions of Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Dodoma, Arusha, Morogoro, Mbeya and Ruvuma emphasizing them to utilise the opportunity.

“We have initiated this system to make it easier for the citizens to obtain the IDs, by ensuring that every citizen who has registered gets the card quickly, after these 14 days, we will collect the IDs back to district offices,” he said.

Tengeneza said that this time they have produced 14 million IDs and already sent them in various regions reaching citizens in villages and streets with a major goal to ensure that by March, next year every Tanzania to have the national ID.

“The authority has so far issued 20.7 million National Identification Numbers (NINs) where out of them, 18.7 million (90 percent) have been given IDs,” he added.

Home Affairs permanent secretary, Kaspar Mmuya urged journalists to observe ethics when reporting various issues especially online reporting in order to avoid raising shocks, fear and chaos.

“There are some social media platforms which have been reporting crime incidents, disasters bringing hostility, enmity, hatred and even riots in the society,” he said.

According to him, development of information communication technology has greatly brought impact in some areas where there has emerged a habit of everyone wanting to write and distribute information through social networks and various platforms without knowing the effects of the information.

The PS said that the ministry has a major responsibility to protect citizens from harm including their properties to ensure that the country remains peaceful and stable.

Mmuya said the training is a response to requests from journalists with an aim to groom them to be able to know their boundaries which include knowing the country’s laws in reporting about crimes and other sensitive areas for the country’s peace and tranquility.