By Babajide Komolafe

One of the myths about the Biometric Verification Number (BVN) erroneously created by the authorities is the BVN Card.

After the decision to introduce the BVN, the authorities decided to complement it with a BVN Card. But due to lack of communication, and the manner the cards were being distributed, they created a wrong impression about the cards.

In some quarters, it is believed that the card will replace existing electronic payment card, such that those who do not have it, would not be able to access their bank accounts. But it is not so.

According to the Managing Director/Chief Executive, Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS), Mr. Ade Shonubi, the BVN card though meant to complement the BVN, is not and would not replace existing payment cards. The purpose of the card, Shonubi said was to help people remember their BVN. He said, this is to help customers overcome the challenge of not remembering their BVN whenever they need to submit it for transactions. Hence, they would just produce the card, or check the card for their BVN.

This explanation however does not make the BVN card a necessity. Otherwise, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) would have directed banks to issue bank account cards to their customers, to help them remember their account numbers. If bank customers don’t need a special card to remember or produce their account numbers, telephone numbers, PIN and other numbers, then they don’t need a special card to remember or produce their BVN.

Thus the BVN card is not necessary and should be suspended. Off, course, except it is meant to serve any other purpose besides helping customers remember their BVN, the card is a distraction to a laudable initiative, and it should be scrapped.

Besides the distraction of the BVN card, it is obvious that many people perceive the BVN as a government project. This is reflected in the response of a reader, to last week’s edition.

“Can Nigeria actually run and maintain this BVN initiative? I ask this question because this is exactly what happened with INEC’s voter’s card issue where we recorded people coming to the polling units with more than one card, having the same face, verified by the card reader.

Also, with the level of corruption in the country, what is the assurance that identity theft will be eradicated when our leaders will always make a way even though there seems to be none?

In a nutshell, I Just wish the government could only invent things it can handle, not introducing one huge project today only to scrap it tomorrow thereby wasting the limited resources we have.” (Richard Nwachukwu).

The BVN initiative is not a government initiative, and it is not funded by government. Secondly, it does not really need any special legislation to work. It is an initiative of banks and the CBN, and they are the ones also funding and implementing it. Can the BVN be compromised to the extent that one person can have different BVN with same identity? It would be very difficult. This is because NIBSS is the only organisation generating the BVN.

Hence for that to happen, somebody in NIBSS would have to be involved. Even if such happen, it should be discovered whenever any of the BVN is submitted for transaction. This is because the banks would do a search on the BVN database, and such search would reveal the fraud. The reality is that it would be very difficult to compromise the BVN initiative.