Gambians resident in Essau and surrounding communities, intending to secure a national identity card, have had to wait for a little longer as the mobile team from the immigration services have not been seen in the village for four months now.
This development posed a significant challenge to those in need of the vital national document.
JollofNews received information that a bank cashier Awa Jallow was the finance officer for the Essau Immigration post and that since her recall four months ago by her bank, the ID card issuance in Essau remained on hold.
The halt in the ID issuance has reportedly affected school teachers and pensioners, whose IDs have either expired or about to expire in a month’s time.
It could be recalled that the Ministry of Public Service, Administrative Reforms, Policy Coordination and Delivery had issued a press release, informing civil servants and pensioners in the North Bank Region that it would embark on a head-count in the region and that any civil servant, who does not hold valid national identity card, would have his/her salary blocked.
“The Ministry of Public Service hereby informs the civil servants and pensioners in North Bank Region that the new date for the enrollment for the issuance of ID cards to civil servants and pensioners at the said mentioned region is slated for Thursday October 16, 2025, instead of October 15, 2025,” the release also stated.
The Ministry of Public Service Administrative Reforms Policy Coordination and Delivery said it has made arrangements between the civil servants and members of the Gambia Immigration Department to transport some members of the GID from Banjul to be deployed in the Kerewan administrative region to issue ID cards.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one teacher said: “This whole issue looks like a drama to us. How could the Ministry wait till the last minute to issue such a release in this critical time of obtaining national identity cards? I can authoritatively tell you that more than 300 teachers went to Kerewan to get their ID cards, but the immigration officers told us that they can only process 50 people a day. Imagine with all the struggles and the efforts made with the costly transport fares that the ministry is not refunding,” said the frustrated young teacher.
The GID PRO Inspector Siman Lowe told JollofNews that he was unaware of any halt to the ID card issuance in Essau and promised to get back to us but did not at the time of this post.
“I will contact the OC of the ID card and get back to you,” he promised when contacted on Saturday.
