February 1, 2011 12:41AM

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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.