DID THE NIR BOSS LIE UNDER OATH?  -Testimony Before House Plenary Differs with Reality on Ground, Sources Say  

MONROVIA – With presidential executive order in place enforcing the compulsory obtainment of national identification cards, citizens are scrambling to fall in compliance, to obtain their cards, thus congregating at service centers that are acutely insufficient and ineffective and overwhelmed. Appearing before the House over public complaints about delays and inconveniences being encountered, the director of the National Identification Registry which is overseeing the process, was overheard side-brushing the challenges and difficulties citizens have been enduring in obtaining a card, and many are picking bone with him, as THE ANALYST’S MATTHEW TURRY reports.    

It appears that the Executive Director of the National Identification Registry (NIR), Andrew Peters, may have provided false information under oath regarding the pick-up time for the on-going, snail-pace national ID card registration process. 

During his testimony before the House of Representatives, Mr. Peters noted that individuals registering for the National ID cards in Montserrado County could collect their cards three days after completing the biometric process. But according to an independent follow-up by the Analyst newspaper as to verify the statement of the NIR boss, it was gathered that the NIR boss’ statement was intended to assure the public that the process was efficient and timely.

Speaking to The Analyst, one of the inside source who pleaded not to be named in the press said the statement of Mr Andrew Peters is contrary to what is happening in the system, as to the timely processing of the ID Cards. 

“What our boss said is not what is happening here. When people complete their biometric registration, we issued you a receipt for one week, or fourteen days, but not three (3) days,” he said. “In fact, we have only one printing machine for the cards in the country; so how is it possible to print in three days’ time with the crowds of people registering together each day?” 

Validating the NIR staff statement is a Liberian journalist Sam Zota, former Media and Communication Officer at CENTAL, and now Communication Lead at Partners In Health Liberia who took to his Official Facebook page after the appearance of the NIR boss and said: “Did the NIR boss lie under oath? This statement was intended to assure the public that the process was efficient and timely”. 

“I completed my biometric registration on June 10, 2025, and was issued a receipt indicating that I should return on June 24, 2025, to pick up my ID card—14 days later, not three,” Zota said. “Hearing Mr. Peters’ claim about the three-day pick-up time, I decided to visit the registration center for verification. To my disappointment, the staff at the center reaffirmed that I should return on June 24.

This inconsistency raises serious concerns about the accuracy of Mr. Peters’ testimony.

He furthered by saying, “Our leaders must prioritize honesty and credibility when addressing the public, especially in matters as critical as national identification”.

Testifying before the House Plenary, the NIR Executive Director Andrew Peters said the national identification card is issued within three days after the biometric registration.

The NIR boss, appearing before the Plenary, highlighted logistical challenges, such as bad road networks and postal system issues that affect the delivery of identification cards outside of Montserrado County.

“We extend the enforcement deadline for banking institutions to accept various forms of identification until August 31,” he said.

In the related development that took plae at the House of Representatives, members of the House’s Plenary threw out Cllr Ernestine Morgan-Awar one of the Commissioners at the National Elections Commission (NEC).

Cllr Ernestine Morgan-Awar was asked out of the House’s Plenary through a motion filed during the Tuesday session by Montserrado County district 16 lawmaker Dixon Seboe.

The decision of the House was based on what the Plenary termed as an administrative misstep on the part of the NEC boss Divadetta Browne-Lassanah.

The Plenary’s anger was triggered by a communication written and signed by a special Assistant of the NEC boss that said the NEC boss is represented by Cllr Ernestine Morgan-Awar, which the body thought was an affront to the Plenary.

The House Plenary argued that the communication should have been signed by any of the Commissioners, not her personal assistant.

The appearance of the NEC’s officials was as the result of a communication sent to the Plenary by Bong County district #6 Representative Moima Briggs Mensah  who raised concerns over the slow processing of ID cards despite applicants completing full registration, including biometric photo and payment.

According to the lawmaker, the delays have affected access to basic financial services—particularly for civil servants, contractors, rural residents, and vulnerable groups—due to the enforcement of Executive Order No. 126.

Executive order 126 requires a valid National ID for receiving or cashing government-issued checks and other national activities.

Rep. Briggs-Mensah also expressed concern over the limited recognition of the Liberian passport for financial transactions, arguing that the Executive Order has unfairly sidelined the internationally accepted travel document.