The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has appealed to both the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), to put modalities and logistics in place for Nigerians in the Diaspora to obtain their own Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) to avoid forfeiture of their savings in their respective bank accounts.
Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa made the appeal on the heels of an interim order of forfeiture granted by a Federal High Court in Abuja last month for the banks to show cause within 14 days why the balances in such accounts should not be forfeited. Her Special Assistant on Media, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, in a statement said Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa implored the CBN to make it possible for all Nigerians in the Diaspora to have their BVN domesticated in their countries of abode. She noted that Nigerians in the Diaspora have been remitting billions of dollars back to the country on yearly basis, the highest on the continent of Africa, thus contributing to the socio-economic development of the country.
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. “This is why the Attorney-General of the Federation should intervene in this matter to assist Nigerians living abroad who are disadvantaged by allowing them more time to comply with the BVN directive”, Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa pleaded.
On the 28th of September, this year, the federal government instituted an action in court for the forfeiture of any balance in a bank account without a BVN.
The present practice is that banks only permit deposits into such accounts. No withdrawal is allowed. If the government plan succeeds, the money is forfeited permanently. Although the banks may challenge the action up to the Supreme Court, Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa reiterated her appeals to Nigerians abroad to urgently take steps to register for the BVN.
Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja had on the 17th of last month, granted the interim order directing 19 commercial banks to file an affidavit of disclosure before the court, stating the names of the accounts as operated, account numbers and outstanding balances.
