The plan by the federal government to replace Bank Verification Number with the National Identification Number has been described as senseless.

This comes after Nigerians took to social media to react to the report.

It was earlier reported that Isa Pantami, Minister of Communication and Digital Economic, during the hosting event of the newly elected National Executive Council of the Association Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria in Abuja, announced the government’s move to replace BVN with NIN.

Many Nigerians reacting to the new development says the proposed policy is unnecessary and ‘senseless.’

Taking to his Twitter handle, a user identified as @boma_ibim said, “This is what we get when the government is confused and lacks direction. Stop stressing the masses.”

Another user of the microblogging site tweeted, “What’s the difference between BVN and NIN? Both, to me, are biometrics. Why do we have to start linking NIN to our bank accounts now? What baffles me is: why now? When there is a coronavirus, can’t this link be moved to after this crisis? or they intentionally want an increase in COVID-19 cases? I don’t understand what exactly is going on right now.”

 @iam_Evera, also condemning the move, wrote, “This country has never been serious. Do these people realize this whole exercise is stressful? It took me days to link my BVN with my bank accounts, now they have brought NIN to replace the former claiming it was not backed by law.”

 @JustAManLikeMe asked the federal government, “What then is the use of BVN? Because both NIN and BVN carry the same information and data.”

 Taking to his Facebook page, another Nigeria, Ogunwale Olodore reacts, he said, “Making NIN mandatory for a bank is senseless. Bank users are not Nigerians, and it is not every foreigner that is due to have NIN,”

 Ray Momog supporting the Federal Government move, advised that “NIN would have been effective if the NIMC division is created in all local government offices in the country. There, new babies born can be registered at birth, and NIN number got.”