NIN-account linkage: Customers besiege banks in Ibadan, say policy unnecessary

Many Nigerians are now spending long hours in banks, seeking to link their National Identification Number (NIN) to their bank accounts.

The development is sequel to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s directive to banks to place restrictions on all Tier 1 bank accounts without BVN or NIN by March 1.

Some of the bank customers, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Tuesday, however, considered the decision as unnecessary, as most account owners already had Bank Verification Number (BVN).

NEWSVERGE reports that while some banks had released some self-service guidelines for customers to link their NIN and BVN to their bank accounts, others have yet to do so.

A bank customer, Mrs Anike Adewoye, said the development was a waste of time and resources, as many Nigerians already had BVN linked to their NIN.

“It is a waste of time and resources as well as a mere duplication of efforts. It is absolutely unnecessary.

“Worst still, Nigerians were not informed about the need to link their NIN to BVN until last week. This is unacceptable,” Adewoye said.

Another bank customer, Mr Yinka Olanrenwaju, said he was denied transaction on his account when he visited his bank on Monday.

Olanrewaju said he was asked to link his NIN to his account before he would be allowed to make deposit or withdrawal from his account.

“When I got to the customer service, I was directed to join those on the queue to link their NIN with their bank accounts.

“I left in frustration, as I could not get it done. The attendant requested my NIN slip, even after I had provided the number from where I wrote it,” he said.

NEWSVERGE also observed the presence of many people at the NIMC office in Ibadan, wanting to obtain their NIN with a view to linking it with their bank accounts or using it for other purposes.

One of them, Mr Olaniyi Olawuyi, however, said he had not started the process, as he expressed the fear that going to bank to queue might a big challenge to him.

Olawuyi said it would be better if banks could provide other means for their customers to do the NIN-account linkage without being physically present at the banks.

A bank official, who spoke with NAN on condition of anonymity, said though some banks had devised other means of linking NIN to the accounts for their customers to reduce traffic in the banks, others had yet to do so.

“You will have to come to the bank to get it done or go through your account officers,” she said.