By Sulaiman Jalloh
The Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning has said it is now mandatory for one to have a National Identification Number (NIN) before owning or purchasing land.
A release from Lands Ministry dated Friday, January 2nd, 2024, noted that with immediate effect, all individuals wishing to secure state land lease, freehold, grant, building permit, and registration must submit a copy of their National Identification Card, non-national card or ECOWAS identity card that bears the unique identifier national identification number.
The release, signed by the ministry’s senior permanent secretary cited that, “the directive is in line with cabinet directives and parliamentary ratification that provide for the mandatory link of the national identification number inscribed on the ID cards to access services, including land and property registration, among others.”
The release noted that the ID Cards are obtainable at all National Civic Registration Authority (NCRA) offices and designated outlets across the country.
Ibrahim Jalloh, a businessman at Jui, told Expo Times that the government should make the issuance of national Ids bearing NINs fast and decentralized.
Jalloh said people in the interior are deprived as he urged government to have national identification registration centers in every chiefdom.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Monday, February 5th, 2024 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)