Abia govt relaunches social security identification number

Abia State Government has concluded plans to re-launch the Abia State Social Identification Number (ABSSIN).

Addressing the press in Umuahia, the Chairman, Board of Internal Revenue, BIR Prof. Udochukwu Ogbonna said, the re-launch is to enable every Abian, both citizens and residents “to have access to certain social benefits from the state, including scholarships to their wards”.

” The ABSSIN would help to identify the person when accessing social benefits in the state. Every citizen is supposed to get it for easy identification. The state government is attaching social benefits to the ABSSIN for social intervention”, he said, adding that it will also assist the state government in getting social data for economic planning.

He informed that the ABSSIN is not limited to any age limit, hence the state government is looking at involving the hospitals in the state in the case of birth registrations, while there are no costs attached to it.

Also speaking on the ABSSIN, the state Commissioner for Budget, Anosike Kingsley and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Internally Generated Revenue, Chimereze Okigbo explained that the ABSSIN is different from the federal government’s Tax Identification Number, TIN, stating, “ABSSIN is an update of what we really have in the database,” explaining that ABSSIN will eliminate double taxation and will enhance the issuance of tax clearance in the state.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Prince Okey Kanu said the re-launch of ABSSIN will enhance the security of residents and the welfare of Abians, adding, “Government wants to do more and takes it seriously for Abians and residents.“