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The Acting Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Prof. Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah has described as “information” allegations of bribery and corruption leveled against the Minister of Communication, Mrs Minister Ursula Owusu Ekuful and himself by Assin Central MP, Mr Kennedy Agyepong.

According to him, the Member of Parliament was misleading the public, “He is completely wrong, what he has given to the world is misinformation”.

Mr Agyepong accused the NIA of collecting monies from foreign investors stating it disregarded his bid for a contract to print NIA cards in favour of more expensive bidders.

But Prof. Attafuah who has been silence for the pass weeks over the allegation said no new contract has been awarded since the President Akufo Addo government came into power.

“NIA has not signed a contract, neither has the Akufo-Addo presidency or government signed a contract with margins or any company whatsoever”

Speaking on an Accra based Joy FM’s newsfile on Saturday to set the records straight, Prof Attafuah explained that the scope of agreement signed in 2012 with Identity Management System which is a subsidiary of the Margins Group of companies is only being expanded under this new arrangement.

“National Identification Authority has not opened a bid for the National identification authority project. NIA has not received any bid or any submission from any entity or body or for what so ever. Hon Kennedy Agyepong has not has not submitted any bid to the NIA in respect of the National ID project.

“NIA has not evaluated any bid from any quarters at all in connection with this matter”.

Throwing more light on the issue, he said “What the government has decided to do following the report of a technical committee established by the vice president to advice government on what to do about the NIA is that government had determined that the existing contractual agreement between the NIA and Identity Management System which is a subsidiary of the Margins Group of companies for the production of ID cards to foreigners lawfully resident in this country constitute a viable framework for giving to the people of Ghana a robust, modern national smart card and identification system.

“It is important to distinguish this matters carefully, in other words an existing agreement for the production of ID card for foreigners the scope of that agreement is being expanded to cover Ghanaians, that agreement has existed since 2012 and cards has been produced instantly for foreigners and that agreement which was a PPP agreement between the IMF and NIA … has a provision for that agreement to be expanded to cover Ghanaians”

He added that the technical committee which arrived at the above decision had officials from DVLA, NIA, SSNIT, Electoral Commission, Passport office and all those connected with identity management systems.