BVN: Customers close account
As the October 31st deadline for the enrolment
for the Bank Verification Number (BVN) ended
yesterday, many banks across the federation
were swarmed with customers on Friday to
complete their BVN just as many closed down
their accounts to avoid any backlash.
When The Nation visited some banks within
Lagos metropolis and its environs, customers’
turnout was massively high.
In Festac town, Mushin, Ikeja, Yaba, Maryland,
Ojota, Ketu, Mile 12, Ikorodu and its environs,
most of the banks were overflowing with
customers who were desperate to be captured.
At Zenith Bank premises in Matori, Mushin area
of Lagos, bank officials sweat it out to enrol
customers for the BVN, as most of the
customers formed long queues.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had extended
the deadline for the BVN exercise to October 31
after banks were inundated by last minute
customers to beat the earlier deadline back in
July.
The Nation was reliably informed that the bank
had anticipated the rush and had made provision
with about three staff members handling the
exercise of registering such customers outside
while other banking activities went on inside.
Adeolu Olugbemi, a customer in one of the new
generation banks told The Nation that due to his
busy schedules he couldn’t complete the BVN
exercise hence he was forced to close down his
bank account.
He said, “several times I came to my bank with
the intention of doing my BVN but each time I
came the whole place was overflowing with
crowd and since I couldn’t withstand the
drudgery of standing on the queues for hours I
had to close my account today (Friday). I can’t
afford to face CBN penalty.”
Another customer who simply gave his name as
Stanley told our correspondent he also couldn’t
complete the BVN. “I was at the bank yesterday
(Friday), when I got there, they ask us to pick
numbers and I was 120 on the queue. After
waiting for over one hour it still didn’t get to my
turn so I had to close my account with the bank
as suggested to me by one of the bank officials,”
he said.
An official of Diamond bank in Wuse who also
preferred not to be mentioned said although
there was an upsurge of customers rushing to
beat the deadline for the registration it was
nothing compared to the previous deadline. She
said the bank had made provisions and would
ensure that they attended to all the customers
at the bank for the registration.
At GT Bank Area 3 Garki, over 20 customers
were seen waiting to either register or submit
their BVN to the bank. One of the bank’s
customers, Miss Onyeche Audu said, “I am just
entering the bank and I am sure I will leave here
soon because the bank is really managing the
crowd.”
However, there were very few customers trying
to carry out the BVN registration at Eco, Zenith,
Fidelity, Stanbic IBTC and Unity banks.
Speaking with a cross-section of the officials of
these banks, they confided in The Nation that
they were optimistic that “after the registration,
the CBN would get the cards ready after which
the banks would distribute them to their
customers.”
Meanwhile, a few hours to the close of banking
business on Friday, the CBN issued a statement
warning unsuspecting customers of the activities
of those it described as “certain unscrupulous
individuals sending unsolicited mails and text
messages to unsuspecting bank customers,
alerting them to the deactivation or suspension
of their bank accounts due to uncompleted Bank
Verification Number (BVN) registration process.”
The apex bank warned individuals and the
general public that such “messages are intended
to lure bank account holders to reveal their
personal details with which the fraudsters could
use to defraud them.”
The CBN and deposit money banks nor their
employees or agents the statement said “would
mever call bank customers or send e-mail/textmessages requesting for passwords, card details
or personal identification number (PIN)