BVN Registration : Last minute rush overwhelms banks in Okene

By Ismail M. Kabir

In a bid to beat the registration deadline of the Bank Verification Number (BVN) recommended by the Central Bank of Nigeria, banks in Okene are besieged daily by desperate customers struggling to get the BVN, a development that now affect motorists in the area.

 

With barely one week to the close of the registration, customers are seen queued in hundreds around various bank branches in the town from as early as 6.30am in wait for banks' official resumption time of 8.00am.

The queues which are more noticeable at the United bank for Africa (UBA), Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB)and First Bank of Nigeria stretch into the main roads, obstructing free traffic flow around the banking location while also disrupting normal transactions in the banking hall.

Speaking with EbiraView this morning,  a customer named Idris said that some of them have been coming since last week and are yet to be registered. 

"I have been coming here since last week and yet to do my registration. Today is supposed to be my turn as they attend to us according to our numbers". Idris noted that in order to cope with the crowd,  the bank gives number to customers some of who have to return 5 to 6 six working days later for their turn.

When EbiraView contacted the Okene branch of Guarantee Trust Bank,  a staff who preferred anonymity blamed the queue on the careless attitude of the customers.

He said that the queue would have been avoided should the customers responded timely to the notice for the compulsory BVN registration.

The source,  however,  assured that with the addition of another staff to the Biometric data capturing desk, all the customers will be captured before the June 30th deadline.

"The challenge we have now is the usual Nigerian factor. They all waited till it was almost too late before turning up for the data capture. 

"We have added an extra staff to the BVN desk to fast track the registration process and we are hopeful that within the remaining days to the deadline all the customers will be registered ".

On their part,  the customers lamented the slow registration process which they said takes about 20 minutes to capture one customer in the midst of hundreds.