FG apologizes to Nigerians on directive on “self-certification” form

The Federal Government has apologised to Nigerians for what it termed a misleading information regarding ‘Self-certification’ forms.

The government had earlier ordered all account holders in financial institutions to obtain, complete and submit the forms.

Nigerians have been expressing their anger over the new instruction and wondered why authorities are dragging them into another round of verification.

They have asked the government to reverse the order and use details on existing forms of IDs like the Bank Verification Number (BVN) and National Identity Number.

After much criticism, the Buhari-led government in a statement on its official Twitter page urged Nigerians to disregard earlier information.

The statement reads: “We apologize for the misleading tweets (now deleted) that went up yesterday, regarding the completion of self-certification forms by Reportable Persons.

“The message contained in the @firsNigeria Notice does not apply to everybody. FIRS will issue appropriate clarification shortly.”

Meanwhile, FIRS in its clarification on Twitter explained that the self-certification form was pursuant to the Income Tax (Common Reporting Standard) Regulations 2019 and in fulfilment of Automatic Exchange of Information Requirements.

FIRS said that the form would be administered on reportable persons holding accounts in financial institutions regarded as “Reportable Financial Institutions” under the CRS.