“The BVN Is Personal & Should Not Be Disclosed” – Workers Kick As Aregbesola Orders Civil Servants To Submit BVN

Some civil servants in Osun State have flayed the state government for demanding for their Bank Verification Numbers, alongside other information which the government requested them to submit before Wednesday.

Some of the workers at the state Civil Service Secretariat argued that the BVN was their personal number and should not be disclosed to anybody, because the number could be used to defraud them if it got into wrong hands.

One of the workers said, “We have been on this staff audit for years, yet it is still ongoing. Despite the daily staff screening, salaries are not regular and they are now asking us to disclose our BVN. I hope they won’t ask us to submit our ATMs and their PIN the way they are going.”

Some of the workers said they would not submit the BVN because they believed the numbers were not necessary for the exercise.

In a circular issued from the Department of Planning, Research and Statistics of the Ministry of Finance on Monday, asking civil servants in the state to fill a form indicating their names, Chams Identity card number, BVN and bank accounts. The BVN is one of the information marked as mandatory on the form.

The circular, with reference number AD/2/405/19 and dated February 18, 2016 pasted at the Ministry of Women Affairs, was entitled, “Re: Cleaning of payrolls of state and local governments’ workers in the State of Osun.”

The circular read, “Further to the circular letter with reference number AD/2/405/7 dated 7th September, 2015 on the above subject matter, I am directed to request every member of staff of your ministry/ department/ agency to complete the format below which should be forwarded to the Ministry of Finance not later than Wednesday, 24th February, 2016.”