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Hiiraan Online Today from Hiiraan Online: Somali Music advertisements Somalia’s prime minister orders overhaul of NIRA after outrage over ID delays FacebookFacebook messengerTwitterWhatsAppLinkedInTelegramEmail Monday November 3, 2025 Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre listens as officials from the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) brief him during an unannounced visit to the agency’s Hodan district office in Mogadishu on Monday, November 3, 2025. The prime minister ordered immediate reforms to improve service delivery after public outcry over delays in issuing national ID cards.Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre has ordered the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) to overhaul its service system after videos showing Somali women and girls sleeping outside one of its offices sparked widespread outrage. Hamza made an unannounced visit on Monday to NIRA’s Hodan district office in Mogadishu after images on social media showed citizens waiting overnight in harsh conditions to obtain national identification cards. The footage triggered strong criticism of the government’s handling of public services. “What we saw on social media is completely unacceptable,” Hamza said during the visit. “Somali women should not be forced to wait overnight or sleep outside government offices. It endangers their safety and disrespects their dignity.” The prime minister directed NIRA to extend operating hours, expand service counters, and improve overall efficiency to reduce long queues and waiting times. He also ordered the agency to separate queues for new applicants and those collecting their ID cards to minimize delays. The goal, he said, is to ease congestion and ensure that public institutions treat citizens with fairness and respect. NIRA’s Director General Abdiwali Ali Abdulle Timacade and senior officials from the Ministry of Interior were present during the visit. The prime minister directed them to implement immediate corrective measures to improve service delivery and transparency. The Prime Minister’s intervention follows weeks of mounting frustration across Mogadishu and other urban centers, where thousands of people have lined up to obtain ID cards before the fee waiver expires. In an announcement on October 18, NIRA said that “the National ID Card Registration Fee Exemption Period ends on October 31,” urging all citizens to register before that date. Officials have since deployed crowd control measures to handle the surge in applicants. The agency is responsible for issuing national identification cards under Somalia’s digital ID program. The program has become a key component of the government’s modernization agenda to improve governance, security, and access to social services. It has become increasingly indispensable for daily life. In April 2025, the prime minister issued a nationwide order requiring all government agencies to make the national ID mandatory for citizens accessing public services. On August 1, the Central Bank of Somalia announced that starting September 1, all new bank accounts in the Banadir region require a NIRA-issued ID. The same requirement will be phased in nationwide, with federal ministries gradually linking access to services such as transport permits, vehicle registration, and civil documentation to verified digital identities. Since then, several ministries have begun enforcing the ID requirement. In June 2025, the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation became the first federal body to make NIRA-issued IDs mandatory for driver’s licenses, vehicle registrations, and transport permits. Other institutions, including the Immigration and Citizenship Agency, have followed suit, linking national IDs to passports, travel, and inter-agency verification systems. Despite its aims, NIRA’s rollout has drawn persistent complaints of overcrowding and slow service since the program began. The prime minister’s directive is the most forceful government step to date to restore public confidence and ensure fair, efficient delivery. Opinion| Privacy Policy|Sports|Somali Music|Somali Map All Rights Reserved Copyright. © 1999-2025, www.hiiraan.com
