Abuja: C-of-O will include NIN, BVN, says Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said individuals applying for a C-of-O in the FCT must submit their National Identity Number (NIN), while corporate bodies must submit the company’s Bank Verification Number (BVN).

Recall earlier that the minister stated he stopped signing the C-of-O brought to him because he “doesn’t trust those C-Os they are bringing for me to sign. I don’t want to sign a C of O that has been given to another person.”

Wike, while addressing journalists on Friday, said the new measure is to ensure security is in place, adding that there are individuals with similar names in the FCT.

His words: “There are people who have lands in the area councils, and by the FCT Act, all lands belong to the FCT; no Area Council has the power to allocate land or issue you a C-of-O. In order to rectify these anomalies, we’ve set up a council to look into this, as we don’t want to go back and cause some problems for individuals who have land and certificates.

“What we did was inform them to come for proper documentation for the C-of-O. We noticed a lot of discrepancies in the claiming of C-of-O. So, we have the verbal approval of the president, and we’re waiting for it to be official.

“We’ve come up with the idea that every allottee must supply his NIN, and this will help with security as anyone could come to you to claim a C-of-O. So, anyone cannot come up to claim a C-of-O. This is one of the features.

“Also, since corporate bodies don’t have NINs, they have to submit their BVN.

“In the process of introducing this feature, we discovered that so many people have not registered, and now they have to register,” he added.