The Ijaw Defenders of Mandate (IDM), has described a media statement credited to one Mr. Ozobo Austi of Ijaw People’s Development Initiative (IPDI), calling for the resignation of the Interim administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Maj. Gen. Barry Tariye Ndiomu as disrespectful, shameful and irresponsible.
Speaking with newsmen in Warri on Friday, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Ijaw Defenders Mandate, Comr. Solomon Igbanwei, reminded Mr. Ozobo Austi that lawlessness and rascality do not come under a citizen’s fundamental human rights.
He added that issuing such matching orders to a senior citizen like Gen. Ndiomu to rectify an anomaly he also inherited from previous administrations in the Presidential Amnesty Programme, was the height of recklessness and disregard for an Ijaw elder statesman, just because he is holding a public office.
Comrade Igbanwei noted that the case of BVN of some ex-agitators being linked to multiple accounts has been a fraudulent practice in the amnesty office that contravenes the provisions of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007 (CBN Act), the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020 and the CBN revised regulatory framework for Bank Verification Number (BVN) operations including the Watch-list for the Nigerian Banking Industry.
Comrade Igbanwei said while the fundamental rights are the basic rights of citizens, lawlessness in the guise of embarking on unwanted disruption of traffic on federal highways in the name of protest by the affected ex-agitators will amount to public nuisance and breach of law and order, adding that the fundamental rights refer to those rights which are proper under the law, morality or ethics.
According him: The adhoc verification committee of PAP is working in accordance with the provisions of the regulatory framework put in place by the Central Bank of Nigeria for Bank Verification Number (BVN) operations and that of the Watch-list for the Nigerian Banking Industry”, saying that any breach of the act would attract penalties.
Recall that the Strategic Communication Committee (SCC) of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (STRACOM) had earlier warned delegates with BVN related cases to remain calm as the adhoc verification committee of PAP has already rectified about 750 cases, awaiting approval for payment, reiterating that any affected ex-agitator who joins any protest in respect the BVN matter will risk being suspended from the programme.
Director of Mobilisation of PAP Strategic Communication Committee, Comrade Tonye Bobo in a chat with journalists in Yenagoa recently, added that the Interim Administrator, Maj. Gen. Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd) was doing everything possible to rectify all BVN cases.
“This process is aimed at using BVN to deter, prevent, detect and mitigate the risks of fraud in the banking industry. Therefore every customer is meant to have a personal BVN number linked to his or her bank account, not a situation where one BVN will be linked to multiple accounts as is the case of the affected ex-agitators”, he stated.
“The fundamental right is “that to which a person has a just claim to.” It is an interest which is recognized and protected by the rule of law and respect as being a legal duty, violation of which constitutes a legal wrong. Something that is due to a person by a just claim, legal guarantee, or moral principle”, he further explained.
It will be recalled that the Central Bank of Nigeria, in collaboration with the Bankers’ Committee, deployed a centralised Bank Verification Number (BVN) System in February 2014 as part of the overall strategy of ensuring effectiveness of “Know Your Customer (KYC)” principles, and promotion of safe, reliable and efficient payments system. The BVN system gives each customer in the Nigerian banking industry, a unique identifier number.