Friday 27 November 2015

Account Frozen

One the 28th of October, I did a post asking you, or should I say appealing to yo do your BVN like I had it all figured out [Read it Here] …So I was kinda stranded the other day and had to use the ATM on an account I run withvari l of our new generation banks, and my transaction was declined. I thought it was a joke, and then I tried to use the banks USSD code to recharge my mobile line. I got a message that my request will be processed, but I never received value, neither was I debited for the transaction I initiated. I decided that it was a network issue from the bank.
Hoping the network would be better already, I tried again the next day and the day after. It then dawned on me that my account had been blocked. See me o… But I warned others about this, yet I fell victim. How would I have known that this would happen to my account when I did all I should have done. Na wa o, this people just want me to suffer small shaaa.
I managed to find myself in a bank nearly a week after to really confirm why my account was blocked or frozen as they told me. I was not the only one; I observed that about 90% of the customers that came into that branch I visited all came with the same complains. For some, they needed money from their accounts to tend to emergencies. The bank could not help them right away, but advised those that have done their BVN to submit it, while they wait for about another 24 hrs before the restriction on their account will be released.
The whole thing got me pissed. I did my BVN long time ago submitted it to the bank and it was verified. I feel the lady that attended to me threw away the form I filled and gavr her for the BVN submission... If I catch her eeeh? But it’s not nice naa, if only she did her work well, I wouldn’t have had the need to waste precious time coming to the bank. It is an example of services failure. They were lucky that my mood did not get so bad, so much so that I closed my account, withdrawing the N5,000 left in it…lols. I just pitied them.

This post is inspired by a friend that contacted me from Morocco (and another from UK). They have been outside Nigeria for more than two years or so but have been actively operating their accounts with their Nigerian banks and all of a sudden they are restricted from using their accounts from diaspora. They doesn’t have a BVN and I am sure the government or whoever did not provide a means for those in such countries like Morocco to do their BVN. What justification do they have to close their accounts seeef? She is just one of many outside Nigerian’s that BVN has affected negatively… I hope she finds a way out, even though I don’t know how.

27 comments:

  1. Human errors can happen anytime though, Pele.
    I knew that they'd have this issue with Nigerians in diaspora, they didn't make any plan for BVN registration for them.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. They have issues with Nigerians in Nigeria, talk less of Nigerians in diaspora. What do you expect when even Nigerians abroad can't vote during our elections.

      It is well Mami.
      Hope you are good.

      Delete
    2. On the contrary ma'am, provisions were made. I have relatives in the UK who did theirs in the embassy there and there's been no complaints.
      Let them go to the Nigerian embassy in their countries.

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    3. They made plans for the UK, US and some European countries, not every Nigerian embassy has the facilities for BVN.
      My aunt works in the Tunisian embassy and she had to do her BVN in Nigeria.

      Delete
  2. I thought CBN said people in Diaspora can as well do their BVN? It can be frustrating when you're in urgent need of cash and you get to the nearest ATM hoping to get money, only for you to be told your account has been frozen. Una pele oooooo
    www.alabekee.com

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    1. Esheee ooo... It can really be frustrating jaree... especially when you have an emergency. God forbid the scenarios that just came to my head.
      I know CBN made provisions for Nigerians in the UK and SA, even though I personally still feel those arrangements were not adequate. I don't know if provisions were made at all for other countries like Morocco were my friend is.

      Delete
  3. I was also barred even after I had registered my BVN with all my banks! It was frustrating though but all went well at the end.

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    1. Adaeze, when your money is involved, it has to end well naa... don't you think so? Lols

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  4. Every positive move in this country is always messed up by some stupid people.. BVN is a good initiative but some banks will want to frustrate you with it.
    Thank God sha say me na under pillow i dey keep my money..



    Www.trendwithgloria.com

    ReplyDelete
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    1. "Pillow keee? Make dem no hear ooo" lols
      If I must apportion blames, I wont spare anyone... The Financial institutions including the BVN team did not do enough in planning, capacity building of their staffs, publicity and execution of the whole BVN stuff. It is well shaa.

      Delete
  5. Thankfully, I seem to be one of the few lucky ones. I was even scared that since I did it in the north, I might have issues but nah.
    Sorry about that

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    1. I guess one of the reasons why you were that lucky is because, the banks in the North are usually not overwhelmed by customers as the case is here in the South, so they do their job better... I might be wrong o.

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    2. You are actually very wrong. We face longer queues there self because of the millions involved

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  6. Eyaah. Sorry o. Mine was very stress free. I had previously gotten my bvn from one of the banks I have an acct with then I linked my other two accts in other banks via my phone. Simple as ABC so I can't complain.

    evitaspeaks.blogspot.com

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    1. That was what I did too, I thought I was done o, until the day I had to withdraw with my ATM and saw I couldn't. Ooops, you did yours via your phone... I did mine manually, guess that's the difference and my luck was low the day I did the linking. lols...
      Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  7. Sorry about that. It was stressful the day I did my BVN. I have never seen a sluggish guy like the banker that attended to me. Despite the fact I was calm, I was angry. Anyways, thank God you have withdraw the millions in your account..lol

    I have posted 'what I am thankful for' once again, thanks for nominating me. God bless U Ugo.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Being calm and angry is nearly impossible for many people o... its good to know that you are not one of those people.

      Mmm...I am off to your space to read first hand the things you are thankful for. God bless you too.

      Delete
  8. I had same issue too few weeks ago. Got so pissed at dem cos even after linking my account, I still had to revisit dem again. Sorry about Dat dear.

    Pamscrib.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks namesake and sorry too. Thank God that is a settled issue now.

      Delete
  9. Lol ugo I dont even know what to say

    I guess you sid it rather too early hence they failed to enter it

    Pele

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    1. Doing it too early should even be the reason why I shouldn't have any issue with it.
      Fire brigade approach has obviously crept soo deep into our systems.
      I pray this change we have been praying for materializes.

      Delete
  10. I operate three bank accounts,I did my BVN in one of the banks, I failed to register with the other two. Does it mean my account in the other banks will be frozen, Abi my account looks like chicken? Kikikikikikik

    Bolateethole.blogspot.com

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    1. Heheheheee... BMF, as funny as it sounds, that is kinda what happened to me. The difference is that unlike you, I submitted my BVN to the other bank for linking but the bank failed to link my account. So my account was frozen o... Go update your accounts o if you are still interested in using them in future.

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  11. God knows...I cried that night i worked with mixed feeling down to an ATM machine to withdraw...i even tried 3 different banks to making sure i got the proper message..lol...Sorry to say i insulted my Nigeria Govt...They got me asking myself question like(how the hell with this Stupid BVN thing help me??) No BVN registration for us over here...the govt didnt take us into consideration so i had no choice but to reach out to my bank by email...luckily for me my email was replied and guess what was sent....Dear Customer..''.bla bla bla bla...the information you will be providing us will only help us capture ur account as a non resident nigeria but pls note it is not ur BVN enrollement!!!''...meaning i will only have access to my account till the 31st of january 2016(.new dealine) before it will be blocked again...so what will happen now again to those of here where there is no BVN registration centre???

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    1. I thought I had responded to this before o... sorry it is coming now. I am happy the suspension has been lifted for now, even though their conditions are still not what I expect it to be. You may just have to find a way to improvise, so that you are not caught unawares by the next deadline.

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  12. Yeah! I experienced same thing. Did the BVN twice. Guess they updated the registration thingy and didn't carry the customers along till deadline.
    www.debrasmuse.blogspot.com

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    1. Debbie, I thank God it's past now o, while we look forward to the next governmental policy that they will use to disturb us again...lol

      It's really a pleasure to have you stop by.

      Delete