Bankers Committee integrate 10,000 customers into biometric scheme

The Bankers Committee on Tuesday said 10,000 bank customers have been integrated under the biometric scheme at the pilot phase. Mr Philip Oduoza, Managing Director, United bank for Africa said this at a news briefing on the outcome of the committee meeting in Abuja. Oduoza said the biometrics entailed taking the picture and finger prints of customers, noting that it would help to ensure effective implementation of the cashless policy.

“We are ready to rollout the cashless policy in the whole country in July as planned.

“We have integrated 10,000 customers in the bank biometric verification scheme which we concluded at pilot scheme last week Friday. The verification has been rolled out for all customers in the banks since yesterday,’’ he said, stressing that the volume of transaction in the electronic banking had increased tremendously.

Oduoza also said that migration by customers from banking hall to electronic banking was fast growing. He said banking penetration was still low at about 25 per cent, but expressed the hope that it would improve with the biometric verification.

“We have about 30 million accounts in the banks but all phone users are potential bank customers. We have 120 million lines in the country, we hope to bring in so many unbanked people into the system,’’ he said.

 The Central Bank of Nigeria Director, Banking Supervision, Mrs Tokunbo Martins, said the meeting focused on three areas of macro-economic, financial system stability and development banking and cashless Nigeria. Martins said the CBN had zero-tolerance for any form of infractions, especially with serial bad debtors. She said efforts would be made to ensure that those involved were blacklisted and would not get loan from any bank.

 “The blacklisting is going to be done gradually. We are looking at all those who borrowed five million naira and above. Those involved in the bad loans that Asset Management Company of Nigeria bought over, we are looking at bringing the threshold down. The process will soon be rolled out,” she said. Also, Mr Ladi Balogun, Managing Director, First City Monument Bank, said the committee discussed issues on how to support the various development activities to help drive inclusive growth. Balogun said the committee agreed to continue to support the agricultural sector, small and medium enterprise and the power sector.

“Under the power sector, we want to ensure that we support the companies to ensure that the existing assets are maintained in their installed capacity,’’ Balogun said. The Managing Director, Guarantee Trust Bank, Mr Shegu Agaje, said the committee agreed to support effort that would drive lower interest rates and maintain the inflation rate at single digit.