Nigeria Content Online

After
the one month extension given by the Central Bank for customers to
update their account, queues were still seen at banks yesterday as
people tried to meet the deadline.

Bank
customers hurried to get their accounts updated yesterday at some of
the banks visited. In December, the Central Bank directed banks to
carry out updates on customers profile in furtherance of its
‘Know-your-customer’ requirement. It added that customers who fail to
comply will no longer have access to their bank accounts.

Customers
at First Bank on Olowu Street, Ikeja were on queues at the banking hall
trying to get their accounts updated. Due to the slow movement of the
queues arising from the cumbersomeness of making photocopies of some of
the documents required, some customers could not hide their
frustration. They lamented that the bank’s protocol was too much as
other banks did not require some of the items they requested for.“They
are asking for many things,like utility bill, passport photographs and
other things. I have been to other banks and their protocol is not like
this, maybe that is why this queue is not moving” Kemi Adeyemi, a bank
customer said.

Danjuma,
one of the security officials said the queue has been increasing since
last week. “Today being the last day, the queue is worse” he said.

More hassles

Guaranty
Trust Bank at Opebi, Ikeja was not better as long queues can be seen ,
even distracting other banking activities. Customers who had other bank
transactions to do frowned at the lackadaisical attitude of the people
on the queues. Bank officials had to bring the forms to customers
outside the banking hall to fill in a bid to decongest.

This
was made worse by the breakdown of the bank’s internet server, which
resulted in the banking hall being jammed by customers that wanted to
update the data and those for withdrawal, deposits and other banking
transactions, as even the ATM services broke down. At the bank’s Broad
street branch, an official, Adeyosola Johnson appealed to customers to
exercise patience while the bank works on its systems. “Please, our
server is down. Bear with us while we work to get our systems to
function again in the next 30 minutes,” she pleaded.

Also,
at Intercontinental Bank, Broad Street, the queues were long as
customers made effort to comply. An official who declined to be
identified, said updates cannot be done by proxy as only the account
holders’ signature will suffice.However, at some bank branches, it was
business as usual,Zenith Bank branch at Olowu, Ikeja had its operations
running smoothly without the hustling of people who wanted to update
their accounts.“There is no queue. If you want to update your account,
all you need is your valid Identity card and then you fill the form”
the customer care service official said.

The Central Bank said the customer data update is to enhance the
know-your-customer (KYC) requirement and also to check money laundering
and illicit funds in the system. It also said the deadline will not be
extended.