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…CBN mum over deadline lAs customers lament network failure
The CBN had in a circular on December 1st 2023, directed that banks should place restrictions on all Tier 1 bank accounts without BVN.
Tier 1 accounts are accounts that can be opened with a valid identity or proof of address.
The maximum daily transaction limit for a Tier account is N50,000 while the maximum account balance is N300,000.
According to the circular, titled, ‘TIER-1 WALLETS AND ACCOUNTS: MANDATORY USE OF BANK VERIFICATION NUMBER (BVN) OR NATIONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (NIN), the CBN said: “As part of its effort in promoting financial system stability, it becomes necessary to strengthen the Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures in financial institutions under the purview of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“Accordingly, the CBN hereby issues an amendment to Section 1.5.3 of the Regulatory Framework for Bank Verification Number (BVN) Operations and Watch-List for the Nigerian Banking Industry (The Guidelines).
In this regard: It is mandatory for ALL Tier-1 bank accounts and wallets for individuals to have BVN and/or NIN
“It remains mandatory for Tiers 2 & 3 accounts and wallets for Individual accounts to have BVN and NIN;
“The process for account opening shall commence by electronically retrieving BVN or NIN related information from the NIBSS’ BVN or NIMC’s NIN databases and for same to become the primary information for onboarding of new customers, and all existing customer accounts/wallets for individuals with validated BVN shall be profiled in the NIBSS’’ ICAD immediately and within 24hrs of opening accounts/wallets.
“Effective immediately, no new Tier 1 accounts and wallets should be opened without BVN or NIN,
“For ALL existing Tier 1 accounts/wallets without BVN or NIN:
“Effective immediately, any unfunded account/wallet shall be placed on “Post No Debit or Credit” until the new process is satisfied.
“Effective March 1, 2024, all funded accounts or wallets shall be placed on “Post No Debit or Credit” and no further transactions permitted.
“The BVN or NIN attached to and/or associated with ALL accounts/wallets must be electronically revalidated by January 31, 2024.”
Vanguard checks revealed that customers of a Tier 1 bank who have not linked their NIN to their account were not allowed access to the account.
A staff of the bank, who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed to Vanguard, that the bank had started implementing the directive of the CBN that all bank accounts must be linked to NIN and BVN before February 29.
‘It is true that we have started implementing the directive. We have begun to place restrictions on accounts not linked to NIN. Today a customer called for my intervention because he could not access his account via internet banking.
A customer of the bank who also spoke anonymously shared his experience at the Berger Branch of the bank in Apapa. He said: “The bank staff told me I cannot access it because it has not been linked to my NIN. I had to show them a copy of my NIN slip before I was allowed to access the account.”
Vanguard checks however reveal a different story in most of the banks. Besides sending email and SMS messages to their customers, most of the banks have yet to place restrictions on accounts not linked to NIN.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the branch manager of another Tier 1 bank, said: “The only thing that is mandatory for now is BVN. In as much as the account is linked to a BVN, we allow access for customers. That is the latest communication received from our Head Office.”
Adding to the confusion is the divergent messages from the banks to customers over the deadline for the CBN directive.
While some banks indicated February 29, 2024, as the deadline, some banks were silent about any deadline.
For example, a Tier 1 bank in an SMS to its customers said: “Dear Customer, you must link both BVN and NIN to your account. Visit www.gtbank.com to link your BVN and NIN.”
But another Tier 1 bank, in an email message to its customers, said:
“Please ensure that your Biometric Verification Number (BVN) and National Identification Number (NIN) are linked to your account number on or before 29 February 2024.
“You can seamlessly update your account information with your BVN and NIN by visiting any FirstBank branch close to you.
“Please note that Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) through its circular:
PSM/DIR/PUB/CIR/001/053 dated 01 December 2023, has directed that effective, 01 March 2024, all funded accounts without BVN shall be placed on ‘Post No Debit or Credit’ and no further transactions permitted.”
However, efforts to get the CBN to clarify the implementation of the directive prove abortive. A top official who spoke on condition of anonymity told Vanguard, “What I can tell you for now is that we have not issued any fresh directive to the banks on the issue.”
Similarly, subscribers in the country are going through harrowing times at the moment as operators’ networks are failing spectacularly.
Since the yuletide, subscribers have had to struggle to complete calls when they manage to achieve connection.
Businesses that largely depend on telecom networks have also suffered massively as voice calls and data services have recorded annoying glitches.
This is compounded by a directive by the Nigerian Communications Commission, instructing jamor telecommunications operators in Nigeria, such as MTN, Airtel, Globacom and 9Mobile to implement comprehensive network barring all phone lines without a link to National Identification Numbers, NIN on Wednesday, February 24, 2024.
Some of the major operators who spoke to Vanguard in confidence confirmed that they had commenced disconnection of all unregistered SIM cards as well as SIM cards not properly registered and linked to NIN, based on the NCC directive.
The operatives of the Nasarawa State Police Command have confirmed the arrest of one Ogeh Bethel Chibuife, a fictitious National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, at the Magaji Dan Yumusa Orientation Camp in Keffi.
In a statement published on Thursday by the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), DSP Ramhan Nansel, the arrest was as a result of a complaint submitted at the Keffi Divisional Headquarters through a NYSC Staff member.
According to the statement made available to New Telegraph, the suspect was located after a head count of all Corps members who were attending a week-long orientation exercise at the camp.
The PPRO explained that the suspect, who was determined to be an Ebonyi State University student in the Faculty of Management Science and Department of Public Administration, gained illicit entry into the camp.
“She confessed that she was supposed to have graduated in 2022 but had a lot of spillover courses, and in a bid to cover up the lies she’d made to her parents, she went to the market and purchased NYSC uniforms/other items meant for Corps members and sneaked into the Camp to take pictures and send to her parents before nemesis caught up with her.
“The Commissioner of Police, Nasarawa State Command, CP Umar Shehu Nadada psc, mni hereby calls on all those nursing ambitions to toe the path of these fake corps members to have a rethink as the long arm of the law will catch up with them”, the statement added.
Operatives of the Niger State Police Command have arrested four suspects for possession of P295 rounds of ammunition and one AK-47 rifle in Tafa Local Government Area of the state.
The State Commissioner of Police, CP Shawulu Ebenezer Danmamman, disclosed this during a press briefing at the command headquarters in Minna on Thursday, February 29, 2024.
According to the CP, the suspects were arrested at a poultry farm along Garam/Bwari road via Sabon-Wuse based on credible information.
“On 18/02/2024 at about 1410hrs, based on information received that one Nuhu Abdullahi of a poultry farm, Sabon-Wuse area of Tafa LGA was suspected to be among the hoodlums terrorizing the area,” the CP stated.
"Immediately the information was received, the Police operatives attached to Tafa Div, with Tactical Support Team (TST) led by DPO Tafa mobilized to the poultry farm along Garam/Bwari road via Sabon-Wuse and arrested the following suspects in connection to the information; Nuhu Abdullahi 25yrs, Yahuza Isah 24yrs, Mohammed Adamu 42yrs, all of Dadin-Kowa Sabon-Wuse, Tafa LGA.
"Having arrested the suspects from the scene, an immediate on-the-spot search was conducted in the premises of the farm. Consequently, a total of two hundred and ninety-five rounds of live ammunition of AK-47 rifle were recovered, hidden in different bags of grains within the farm.
"During interrogation, Nuhu Abdullahi confessed that his elder brother; one Ibrahim Abdullahi 38yrs of Mangu area of Plateau State, sent a sum of two hundred and ninety-five thousand naira to him to purchase arms and ammunition for nefarious activities in Mangu, Plateau State.
"The said Ibrahim Abdullahi was equally arrested and confessed to the crime, while Yahuza Isah aided and connected Nuhu Abdullahi to Mohammed Adamu, a vigilante man in Sabon-Wuse.
"Mohammed Adamu claimed that he bought about one hundred and eighty quantity of the ammunition at the rate of two thousand, two hundred naira each from one Rabiu at Kagarko, Kaduna and took the delivery at Jere, Kaduna State, while one other suspect called Commander Dahiru of vigilante, presently at large supplied the remaining quantity.
“Meanwhile, a concerted effort is ongoing to arrest both Dahiru and Rabiu, in order to unravel the source of this ammunition. Case is under investigation at SCID Minna and the suspects will be charged to court after the investigation.”
Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, the Federal Capital Territory Command, have arrested three suspects who specialize in car snatching and robbery in Abuja and its environs.
The Commissioner of Police in the FCT, Ben Igweh, while parading the suspects, said operatives of the Command on February 16, 2024, at about 3:00pm, acting on credible intelligence, arrested three notorious and wanted car snatchers.
The arrested suspects are David Junior Godwin of Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, who is the gang leader; Paul Taju of Gwagwalada, Abuja and Ali Shitu also of Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.
The CP explained that the suspects are members of a four-man gang who specialize in inter-state car theft and snatching come into FCT, perpetrate their heinous acts and take the stolen vehicles to Port-Harcourt to sell.
He further said that on the twenty-third of February 2024 at about 2:15pm acting on credible intelligence, police operatives of the command from anti-fraud unit arrested two suspects, Abdullahi Yahaya of Nasarawa State and Gold Ebere of Jabi, Abuja, at a garden in Jabi, Abuja in possession of 36 bundles of fake $100 notes, totaling about $300,000.
Russian President, Vladimir Putin has warned of a potential nuclear war if NATO states were to militarily intervene in his conflict in Ukraine.
“The West should remember that Russia also has weapons that could hit targets on its territory,” he told 1,000 representatives from politics, business, culture and religion at his State of the Nation address to both houses of parliament.
The 71-year-old, set to be re-elected next month, emphasised that any escalation and the use of nuclear weapons could lead to the “extinction of civilization.
NATO countries had sent Ukraine substantial amounts of military weapons to try to repel Russia’s invasion, now into its third year, but the Western defence alliance had yet to send its own troops.
The consequences of such a move could be tragic, Putin said, while at the same time rejecting claims that Russia wanted to attack the West as “nonsense.”
However, Russia would further strengthen its western flank due to the supposed danger posed by the expansion of NATO, Putin added.
Although he also offered to enter into dialogue with the United States over strategic security in the world.
Russia and the US had suspended or cancelled several disarmament treaties in the course of the Ukraine conflict.
Putin said Russia would be ready for new talks if the US stopped setting its sights on a strategic defeat for Moscow in Ukraine.
The Kano State government has directed the Bichi Emirate Council to suspend the turbaning ceremony of Salisu Ado Bayero as a district head in the Emirate.
A letter addressed to the secretary of Bichi Emirate Council and signed by the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Local Government Affairs, Ibrahim Kabara, on behalf of the State’s Deputy Governor, Comrade Aminu Abdulsalam, who is the overseeing Commissioner of the ministry, said the exercise should be suspended due “certain exigencies” at the moment.
“Reference to the communication received from you via a letter with reference number Bichi/EM/Adm/018/Vol III/167 with the above caption dated 2nd February 2024. I am instructed to convey the government’s directives to suspend the exercise due to exigencies at the moment,” the letter stated.
The state government, however, did not give the details of the “exigencies” in the letter.
Bichi Emirate Council had on February 15, 2024 written to Salisu Ado Bayero, a younger of Emir of Bichi, informing him of the emir’s approval for his appointment as traditional title holder/district head in Bichi Emirate.
The letter directed the Prince to come to the palace on Friday, March 1, 2024, for his turbaning as district head.
Ekiti’s first lady, Olayemi Oyebanji, has appealed to market women for compassion and not to exacerbate the sufferings of Nigerians due to the current economic crisis.
Ms Oyebanji made the appeal on Thursday during a meeting with female market leaders (Iyalojas) from the 16 local government areas in her office in Ado-Ekiti.
She said Governor Biodun Oyebanji was worried about the high cost of food and other essential items in markets.
The governor’s wife, therefore, asked the market women to lower the prices of food and other goods that do not depend on foreign exchange to help the ordinary citizens who are struggling with the situation.
She also urged the market women to cooperate with the current administration in the state by implementing policies that would alleviate hunger and poverty.
Ms Oyebanji urged the market leaders to spread the message to all the traders in the state and encouraged them to find ways to reduce the burden on the people, in line with the government’s efforts to ease their hardship.
“My mothers, I beg you, you are the leaders in your markets. For those goods that are not affected by the dollar, please reduce their prices. We should not use this situation to take advantage of our people.
“Let us go to our markets and talk to other market women. We have to find ways to ease the suffering of our people. This storm will pass, but the little we can do to make it easier, let us do it for our people to have some relief,” she said.
Ms Oyebanji said her husband had recently introduced some palliative measures, including a N12 billion economic stimulus package and payment of arrears of salaries and pensions.
Others are increasing funding for tertiary institutions, approval of N331 million for the purchase of food items for distribution in all the local government areas, free transportation for workers and students, and others.
She further said her recent visit to the Irona Market in Ado-Ekiti, where she gave cash and food items to poor traders and elderly people, was part of the measures to cushion the effects of the economic downturn.
Ms Oyebanji announced her plan to start a market outreach programme called ‘Aya Gomina N Be Oja Wo’ (Governor’s Wife Visits Markets), where she would visit all the markets, buy from local market women, and empower needy traders.
The Iyaloja General of Ekiti, Habibat Ogunjobi, who spoke earlier, said market women in the state have always supported Mr Oyebanji’s developmental programmes.
She assured that the market leaders would take the message to the traders in the local markets and ensure they follow the government’s advice to benefit the masses.
(NAN)
X, the microblogging platform formerly known as Twitter, has introduced a new feature enabling audio and video calls.
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Elon Musk, X’s CEO and owner, earlier announced the feature in August 2023, highlighting its compatibility with Android, iOS, PC, and Mac.
He also said it would allow users to make calls without sharing phone numbers.
In a recent post, X officially announced the availability of the feature and prompted users to connect with their friends.
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“RING RING time to call your bestie. Audio and video calling are now available to everyone on X! Who are you calling first?” the post reads.
Doge Designer, an X creator, explained the process of enabling audio and video calling on the platform through the settings menu.
“You can make calls on this platform now without sharing your phone number,” he wrote.
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“Go to Settings ➤ Privacy & Safety ➤ Direct Messages ➤ Enable Audio & Video Calling.”
Since Musk took over the microblogging platform, X has introduced several features and changes.
In August 2023, the platform commenced its monthly advert revenue payment scheme for verified content creators.
Musk also announced the removal of the block feature, saying it made “no sense”.
He however added that the feature will remain for direct messages.
“Block is going to be deleted as a ‘feature’, except for DMs,” he wrote.
Nigerian actress and filmmaker, Ini Edo, is embroiled in a clash with colleague Chinenye Nworah regarding the rights to their 2023 Netflix series, ‘Shanty Town’.
Edo has reportedly issued a cease and desist letter to Netflix, urging them not to proceed with a deal with Nworah for the series’ sequel.
The crux of Edo’s argument lies in her statement that the producers, not solely Nworah, are entitled to five percent of the proceeds.
Edo contends that Nworah’s previous agreements with two additional companies imply shared ownership, thereby extending rights to three individuals.
In response, Nworah refutes Edo’s claims of joint ownership, denouncing them as false and malicious.
Skit maker, Lord Lamba, confirms he is the father of BBNaija star, Queen Atang, hours after she announced her engagement to another man
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Skit maker, Lord Lamba, has shared photos of himself and the child he welcomed with BBNaija star, Queen Atang.
He shared the photos on social media hours after Queen announced her engagement to another man.
This is the first time Lamba will be posting their child’s photos on social media. There were rumours that he is the father of Queen’s baby, Keirah, who was born December 25, 2022, but he never confirmed or denied it initially.
He, however thought to confirm the rumours today, hours after Queen announced her engagementy to David.
He posted photos from Keira’s 1st birthday shoot wrote;
‘’PRINCESS KEILAH KELVIN ANAGBOGU ADA NNEWI''
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Nigerian music sensation, Asake has ignited a firestorm of outrage on social media with the unveiling of his latest visuals for the chart-topping single ‘Only Me’.
The singer announced the music video’s release on Thursday.
Directred by TG Omori, the visuals unfolded with Asake donning priestly garb, distributing communion in a setting reminiscent of a sacred church space.
Adding to the spectacle, his ensemble of video vixens mirrored the solemn attire of altar servers — those dutiful assistants who aid priests during religious ceremonies.
The video has ignited a storm of condemnation on social media, particularly on platform X, where users have vehemently accused Asake, who identifies as a Muslim, of persistently disrespecting the Christian faith.
Some users referred to a scene from his ‘Bandana’ video, wherein black goats infiltrate a church, as further evidence to support their claims.
“Asake keeps disrespecting the Christian faith in his music videos. Dramatizing giving the Eucharist, robed up in priestly regalia for a music video that has no connection with Christianity is disrespectful,”
“In his Bandana video, he depicts black goats troping into the church, with cloven tongues of fire above weird men. Asake, I think, is a Muslim. Why doesn’t he go above and beyond to embarrass his Muslim faith in this same way?
“Why do Christians even listen to these musicians who bluntly disrespect Christianity?” Solomon Buchi, the life coach, wrote
Asake keeps disrespecting the Christian faith in his music videos. Dramatizing giving the Eucharist, robed up in priestly regalia for a music video that has no connection with Christianity is disrespectful. In his Bandana video, he depicts black goats troping into the church,…
— Solomon Buchi (@Solomon_Buchi) February 29, 2024
Another user wrote: “Christianity has lost it’s value untill even Muslims are condemning what Asake did in this video”.
Asake is a Muslim but can mock the Catholic Church.
David can't post a video he didn't make which had a mosque.We saw Tinubu run a Muslim Muslim ticket and hired fake "bishops".
The religion of peace won't tolerate this. pic.twitter.com/b1YE6Mu1NC
— DISTINGUISHED KPMG LinkedIn Everest (@novieverest) February 29, 2024
Asake, a Muslim. The last time, carried goat inside church. This time he’s in the church again. When davido posted logos olori, muslims burnt his posters & were telling him to put out a public apology.
I don’t understand why he can’t do with his religion.
— Veinzell???????? (@V3INZELL) February 29, 2024
Asake is a Muslim…
See what mockery he is doing to the Christian and Catholic Faith by displaying a charlatan.
Christians don’t fight to be the Religion of Peace.
We always know what we’re doing… https://t.co/YeNMc9aW5N
— Kes IZODUWA ⚡ (@Kestim_) February 29, 2024
SEE MUSIC VIDEO BELOW
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Big Brother Naija star Queen Mercy Atang is now off the dating scene and is getting set to marry her longtime lover in a talk-of-the-town ceremony.
The reality show star and mother of one blew a lot of fans away with the news of her engagement after taking to social media to make an announcement.
Queen Mercy Atang took to her official Instagram page to first share a photo of herself holding hands with a mystery man while flaunting her huge engagement ring. Mercy then accompanied the photo with a caption explaining that she had found love.
She wrote:
“I said yes to my forever love ❤️ #taken #countingdown”
In a fresh post she made just few minutes ago, Mercy Atang who revealed her fiancé’s face in cute photos from the proposal wrote:
“God acted according to his timing. I’ve consistently prayed for guidance in building a loving family, fulfilling roles as a wife, mother, and follower of his teachings. His response came in due time.
To my dear husband to be @Giam_kingdaivid I thank you deeply for choosing me, for loving me, and for embracing my family as your own. Your presence has brought immense joy into my life. May God bless you abundantly. I promise to continually pray for blessings upon your life. I love you dearly. ❤️
Truely what God cannot do, doesn’t exist. Thank you pastor Jerry Eze. We Dey pray, E Dey show ???? God is here.
Dear Sisters @dr_brightie @singhniniofficial @thejackiebent, we have wedding to plan ???????? #Countingdown.”
Big Brother Naija reality star, Cynthia Nwadiora also known as CeeC has debunked rumors of being in a relationship with Ike Onyema.
Recall that CeeC came under heavy backlash following a hangout with the ex-lover of Mercy Eke, Ike in a fancy restaurant.
The duo looked happy together in the restaurant as CeeC was seen playing with her boobs when the camera was placed on her by Ike.
Taking to her X, formerly Twitter page, CeeC debunked rumours that she is dating the ex-lover of Mercy Eke. According to her, her relationship with Ike is platonic adding that she is still single.
In her words;
“As a public figure, I understand that my personal life often becomes subject to scrutiny, but I believe it’s important to set the record straight. I am currently single, and if and when I choose to enter into a romantic relationship, it will be my decision whether to share that with you all or not.
“I want to make it clear that Ike and I are simply close friends. In a world where friendships between a man and a woman are often misunderstood, I want to emphasize that platonic relationships are not only possible but also valuable.”
On Wednesday, the widely used cryptocurrency trading platform Binance excluded the Nigerian currency, Naira, from its peer-to-peer feature.
The feature, known as the P2P market, allows users, buyers, and sellers to transact without the intervention of a third party.
It became widely known among Nigerians in 2021 after former president Muhammadu Buhari’s administration banned crypto trading in the country.
SaharaReporters learned that many Nigerian users can no longer enjoy the feature because of the removal of their currency.
The removal of Naira by Binance from its P2P market came amid claims by Nigerian authorities that the platform contributed to the devaluation of Naira.
A Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga on Wednesday said if not stopped, Binance would destroy the Nigerian economy because of the way it arbitrarily fixes foreign exchange rates.
Financial Times reported on Wednesday that two employees of Binance were detained by the office of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu in Abuja as part of an investigation into the cryptocurrency exchange's operations in Nigeria.
Their detention in Nigeria was in an attempt to curb naira speculation and steady its free fall by clamping down on cryptocurrency exchanges.