ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – The Central Bank of Nigeria has remained silent as the deadline for banks to limit access to customers’ accounts without a Bank Verification Number or National Identity Number has passed.
Recall that CBN, in a notice on December 1 last year, signed by the Director of Payments System Management Department, Chibuzo Efobi and Director of Financial Policy and Regulation Department, Haruna Mustapha, asked banks to restrict tier-1 accounts or wallets without NIN or BVN.
“For all existing Tier-1 accounts/wallets without BVN or NIN: Effective immediately, any unfunded account/wallet shall be placed on ‘Post No Debit or Credit’ until the new process is satisfied.
“Effective March 1, 2024, all funded accounts or wallets shall be placed on ‘Post No Debit or Credit’, and no further transactions will be permitted. The BVN or NIN attached to and/or associated with all accounts/wallets must be electronically revalidated by January 31, 2024”, the statement partly reads.
However, CBN acting spokesperson, Hakama Sidi has yet to respond to calls on Friday over the fate of banks’ customers without NIN or BVN.
Meanwhile, in a telephone interview, the President of the Bank Customers Association of Nigeria, Dr Uju Ogubunka, appealed to CBN for a deadline extension.
According to him, though many accounts have NIN or BVN, there are still many without the requirement.
“At this point, the best thing for CBN to do is extend the deadline for bank customers to have their NIN or BVN”, has said.
A source who preferred anonymity in a tier-1 bank state that no customer account had been restricted owing to the NIN or BVN requirement.
“At the moment, no customers’ accounts have been restricted. Customers in the last three days have trooped in to update their account”, he said.
Reported that bank customers were in a last-minute rush to meet the NIN and BVN requirement deadlines as they besieged their respective banks.
