Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has appealed to the Central Bank (CBN) and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to give more time to Nigerians in Diaspora to register for their Bank Verification Number (BVN).
Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa urged the apex bank to put logistics in place for Nigerians in the Diaspora to obtain the BVN to avoid forfeiture of their savings in their bank accounts.
The appeal is coming on the heels of an interim order of forfeiture granted by a Federal High Court in Abuja on October 17, for the banks to show cause within 14 days why the balances in such accounts should not be forfeited.
A statement in Abuja by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Special Assistant Media to Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa implored CBN to make it possible to Nigerians abroad to have their BVN done in their countries of abode following challenges they were encountering.
She argued that such Nigerians have been remitting billions of U.S. Dollars back home on yearly basis, the highest on the continent of Africa.
The Presidential aide added that the citizens have been contributing to the country’s socio-economic growth.
“I hereby appeal to the CBN to look into the challenges the Nigerians living abroad face in getting their BVN done and extend the deadline for them to get the BVN done,” Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa pleaded.
The Presidential aide also pleaded with the commercial banks to make the procedure easier for their customers, especially those living outside the country, to be able to meet up with the new deadline.
The Federal Government had on September 28, instituted an action in court for the forfeiture of any balance in a bank account without a BVN.
“This is why the Attorney-General of the Federation should intervene in this matter to assistNigerians living abroad, who who are at disadvantage by allowing them more time to comply with the BVN directive,” she said.
The present practice is that banks only permit deposits into such accounts. No withdrawal is allowed. Should the Federal Government succeed, the money in the accounts will be forfeited permanently.
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