LATE MONDAY EVENING (June 23, 2025), the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs & Tourism announced the suspension of the issuance of National Identification Cards to citizens.
THE GOVERNMENT FURTHER halted the enforcement of Executive Order No. 147, aimed at making broader use of Biometric ID Cards mandatory for accessing public and financial services across the country.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT ALSO noted that MICAT, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) and the National Identification Registry (NIR), issued a directive requesting all commercial banks to relax from enforcing the usage of the National Identification Cards as pre-requisite for all banking transactions.
THE GOVERNMENT SAID suspending the exercise was based on administrative reasons.
HOWEVER, THE UNEXPLAINED administrative reasons have come in the wake of public outcries against the difficult process citizens have encountered to meet up with the deadline to acquire the NIR ID Cards.
WE SEE THE TIMING and condition attached to obtaining the ID Cards especially considering the instrument being a pre-requisite to commercial bank transactions across the country as being troubling and problematic because the process is very slow and frustrating.
HOWBEIT, THANK GOD the Government has seen administrative reasons to suspend the exercise now, hoping that the intent of the suspension should point at proper and adequate preparations to avoid confusion and unnecessary difficulties for the citizens during the exercise when all is set and done.