Buhari Will Use BVN To Identify Poor, Vulnerable Nigerians – Minister

The Muhammadu Buhari Administration is set to expand the social register for palliative distribution by employing digital models including the use of Bank Verification Number (BVN).

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sadiya Farouq disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja, while responding to questions at Presidential Task Force briefing on COVID-19.

She noted that this digital measure will be faster and make the distribution more effective.

“We are using other models including BVN to identify bank accounts. We are also using mobile phone networks to identify poor and vulnerable people in the society.

“This is going to be faster, transparent and give room for more accountability,” she said.

She added that the conditional cash transfer to poor households which is currently going on in some parts of the country is transparent and well organised.

According to the minister, all measures have been put in place by the Federal Government to avoid duplication of households.

She also revealed that civil groups, traditional and religious leaders, among others are performing the role of identifying the poor in their communities thereby assisting the Federal Government in the distribution.

National leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu had earlier urged the Federal Government to make cash payments to households through Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) as palliative.

Tinubu said the move would help cushion the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on Nigerians and noted that the government can make direct deposits into individual bank accounts using the BVN of prospective recipients.