L-R: Chairman of the Nigeria Standard of Engineers, Mr Oreoluwa Fadayemi, President, Nigeria Society of Engineers (Nse), Mr Ottis Anyaeji and Nse Vice President, Professional Development, Mrs Margret Oguntala, at a news conference in Abuja, yesterday

Civil Servants in Rivers
State have criticised the attitude of staff at First City Monument Bank Limited (FCMB), Ikwerre Road branch over non-issuance of Bank Verification Number (BVN) print-outs to them.
The need for BVN arose as a requirement  for presentation at the ongoing biometric exercise declared by the Rivers State Government to enable the government fish out ghost workers in the state  civil service.
However, civil servants that visited the Ikwerre Road branch were disappointed as staff on duty refused to avail the workers of the important document that was described by the government as a “mandatory primary document”.
Most of the workers who spoke to The Tide under the condition of anonymity described the action of the bank as wicked and uncalled for.
Reasons given by the staff for not giving out the documents include workers indebtedness to the bank.  But rescue came the way of the workers as the Azikiwe branch of the same bank threw open its  gates to the civil servants and issued them the BVN printouts without stress.
An obviously agitated house-wife who spoke to The Tide said the  action of staff at the Ikwerre road branch was inhuman and capitalist in nature.
Although the ugly development was not only reported at the FCMB, The Tide gathered that some civil servants operating accounts with other banks also registered similar complaints.
When The Tide visited the Azikiwe branch of the FCMB on Wednesday, civil servants were seen collecting printouts of the essential document, even as they further praised the staff and management of the branch for their understanding and cooperation.
It could be recalled that the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike in his recent pronouncements pinned the payment of outstanding salaries to civil servants in the state to the complete participation of every worker in the biometric exercise to check the ghost workers syndrome.