By OKECHUKWU PEACE
There was a mild drama when a large number of women yesterday besieged a bank in Funtua, Katsina State to demand payment of N5,000 social security for the poor and unemployed Nigerians that was promised by the All Progressives Party (APC).
The women, who started trooping to the bank’s premises as early as 7:00am, alleged that they heard an announcement over the radio that the federal government had concluded plans to pay the money. One of the women said she was told that processes of the payment had commenced in the bank, Daily Trust reported.
One of the women who simply gave her name as Sa’adiyya, said: “A friend of mine informed me about the development last week. She said I should come here with my national identity card. She said when I come I will be given a form to fill.”
When contacted, branch manager of the bank, who sought anonymity, said he was not aware of such payment. He added that the bank was not carrying out any registration exercise aside the Bank Verification Number (BVN) as mandated by CBN.
“We are not holding any registration regarding the N5,000 social security as they claimed and I think they mistook the BVN forms we are distributing to our customers as forms for the money. There is no basis for their claims; the women are only working on rumours,” the branch manager said.
Daily Trust saw the bank officials and policemen trying to persuade the teaming women to leave the bank premises and stop obstructing banking activities.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had in the last two weeks at the 10th year anniversary lecture of Crescent University Abeokuta hinted that there were ongoing plans to implement one of their campaign promises of paying N5,000 each to the poorest Nigerians across the nation.
