Nume Ekeghe with agency report Many bank customers in Makurdi on Monday besieged their banks to enroll for the bank verification number (BVN) about a week to the deadline of the exercise. The BVN is an initiative aimed at protecting bank customers and further strengthening the Nigerian banking system.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that while many customers had done their registration, a good number of them, were yet to comply with the central bank’s directive.

A cross section of customers who spoke to NAN said that they could not participate in the exercise early enough because of their crowded schedules.

A First Bank customer, Mrs. Dorcas Atim, said she was just delivered of a baby when the exercise commenced, hence her inability to do the verification earlier than now.

”I was doing everything by myself and as such I had little or no time to spare for other things other than my domestic choirs which were time consuming,” she said. At UBA, a customer, Mr Atom Iordaa, said he was unable to register before now because of the nature of his job which was quite demanding.

“I am only free during weekends, but banks do not transact businesses during weekends, but since they said that one cannot transact businesses after the deadline, my Oga, permitted me to come and be captured,’’ he said.

A customer at Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), Mrs Rose Otu, said she thought the last minute registration would not be as time consuming because most people would have captured.

“It is unfortunate that l miscalculated that the queue will not be long. It is like many people have that same reasoning of coming now as l have.

“If only they will use the data gathered to forestall bank fraud, it will not be a futile effort, but how will they capture the aged, those on sick bed and those in the Diaspora?’’ The deadline for the exercise is June 30, 2015.