March 25

02
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CONTENT
ANNIVERSARIES
Good Friday — Fri, 10 Apr 2020
Easter Monday — Mon, 13 Apr 2020
Labour Day — Fri, 1 May 2020
DAILY HERITAGE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2020
Published by: EIB
Network / Heritage
Communications Ltd.
Managing Editor:
William Asiedu:
0208156974
Acting Editor:
Kweku Gyasi Essel:
0244744973
ISSN: 0855-52307
VOL 7
Location: Meridian
House (Starr FM) Ring
Road. Box AD 676,
Adabraka, Accra,Ghana.
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www.dailyheritage.com.gh
COVID-19:
Prez’s directives
didn’t stop NIA
registration
BY MUNTALLA INUSAH
muntalla.inusah@dailyheritage.com.gh
THE DEPUTY Attorney
General, Godfred Dame,
has said activities of the
National Identification Authority
(NIA) for the registration
of the Ghana Card do not fall
under the directives issued by the President
Nana Addo Dankwa-Akufo-Addo.
According to the Mr Dame, the directives
issued by the President as part
of containment measures to curb the
deadly COVID-19 do not require the
NIA to halt its registration exercise in
the Eastern Region.
The exercise has since been suspended
by a 10-day court injunction
pending the final determination.
In a statement of case in opposition
to the motion for interim injunction
filed against the NIA, the Deputy AG
said although the President gave directives
for the suspension of public gatherings,
the NIA’s work does not fall
under the category of businesses that
were to practise social distancing protocol
as one of the precautionary measures.
“The court will observe that much
as the President directed that all public
gatherings should be suspended, in the
•Deputy AG writes to court over injunction
same speech on Sunday, March 15,
2020, the President expressly preserved
the continued operation of businesses
and other workplaces subject to the observance
of prescribed social distancing
between patrons and staff.”
•Deputy Attorney General, Godfred Dame
“…the effect of the President’s directive
is that manufacturing, industrial
and service workplaces, including the
civil service and service in other organs
of government, local market, supermarket,
shopping mall, restaurant, security
services and other essential services
continue to function, but subject to the
strict practice of prescribed social distancing,”
he said.
He further argued that their work is
part of public services and as such the
ban declared by the president last Sunday
does not include the Ghana card
registration and the plaintiffs on that
basis have no case against the authority.
He stated among other things that
“from a careful study of the applicants’
case, they purported to be ventilating a
public grievance.
“We submit that a human rights action
instituted under article 33 and
order 67 of the High Court Civil Procedure
Rule, 2004, CI 67, cannot be used
as an avenue to vindicate public rights.
“That the National Identification
Authority (NIA) is a statutory authority,
part of the public services of Government
and performing services which
were not proscribed or outlawed by the
letter and spirit of the directives of the
President dated Sunday, 15th March,
2020.”
“The aspect of the President’s directives
that concerns it is in the area of
ensuring social distancing and personal
hygiene protocols which it has been adhering
to.”
• CONTINUE ON PAGE 6