Augustine Okezie, Katsina
The Katsina State branch of the Federal Government’s Conditional Cash Transfer, CCT, program is set to introduce the use of Bio-data Verification Number, BVN, into the payment system rather than the handing over of cash to beneficiaries, in the next few months.
The Special Adviser to Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Social Interventions, Abubakadir Nasir Mamma, told The Nation exclusively that only payments through BVN would help checkmate fraudulent practice that has been plaguing the system during the disbursement of funds to poorest of the poor in the state.
He further recalled that the recent disbursement of N2.6b shared amongst 130,000 poor households might have witnessed lots of deficiencies, given the fact that BVN was not used in that disbursement.
He said’’ the enrollment of the poor household was done in 2016 without account numbers nor the BVN but on my appointment to the position, I want to ensure all enlisted persons have account number, already about 40,000 out of the 130,000 persons now have account numbers and BVN’’.
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His words: “it is only when these people have BVN that frauds would be eradicated If there is BVN we can now involve banks to come into the disbursement’’.
“This process would also change the poverty index of Katsina State. From 2016 to date if we had done this by now we would have changed the narrative by creating more opportunities for the people to get rid of poverty, by being self empowered also ’’.
“We have started and about 40,000 persons now have BVN and in no distance, all will equally do same.”
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