The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Imo State University (IMSU) Chapter, has rejected the directive by the Imo State government demanding submission of Bank Verification Number (BVN) as a pre-condition for salary payment.
A statement signed by the Chairman of the union, Luke Uzoigwe, described the directive as “unacceptable”, insisting that its members will not succumb to government’s intimidation and threats regarding the BVN submission.
According to him, BVN is a private property of every bank user that should not be made public for financial security reasons.
He noted that ASUU is a body of university scholars who know the law, quoting the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Regulatory Framework for BVN operations and Watch-list for the Nigerian Financial System 2018 as amended in its section 1.6 that clearly states that same BVN is a private document and should not be displayed in open domain.
Uzoigwe added that the CBN document in reference specified procedure and conditions under which one can release his BVN, which includes but not limited to the obtainment of valid Court Order and subsequent approval by the CBN.
The ASUU chief regretted, however, that the Imo State government has not demonstrated to the union its fulfillment of the requirements of this CBN framework before requesting its members to submit their BVNs as pre-condition for salary payment.
The union noted that though its members are fully in support of the efforts of the state governments to fish out ghost workers, it suggests however that it should not be achieved through invasion of people’s privacies and in contravention of CBN regulatory guidelines.
The ASUU chairman added, “The Acts and Laws that established Imo State University clearly stipulated the functions of relevant agencies of the university to the extent that the University is an autonomous entity in which teachers and other members of staff are not part of the state Civil Service.
“The salary structure for academic staff and non-academic staff are not the same with that of the civil service.”
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