BCAN charges Nigerian on need for financial information

Bank customers at the bank customers’ summit organised by Banks Customers Association of Nigeria (BCAN) In Lagos recently, have been tasked to deliberately seek information and knowledge to keep themselves properly equipped, as information is key and knowledge is power in successful bank-customer relationship.

According to BCAN, bank customers who have complaints against their banks should always endeavour to explore the complaints resolution channels, including the Complaints Resolution Desk in the various banks, the CBN Consumer Protection Department, the NDIC Complaints Desk, the Bankers’ Committee Sub-Committee on Ethics and Professionalism with Secretariat at CIBN, the Consumer Protection Council, CPC and BCAN.

The association also stressed that bank customers should keep their personal banking details such as passwords, PINs, tokens and even electronic cards strictly private and secured so as to protect themselves and the banking system from fraudsters.

‘Bank customers should quickly report to their banks all cases of loss of security items, instruments and documents to enable their banks to prevent un-authorised use of such items, instruments and documents’, it stated.

It also mentioned that bank customers and bankers should operate within the legal and regulatory provisions and each party should always honour their obligations.

Similarly, market leaders and members of various market associations across the country were enjoined to take advantage of the programmes and activities of BCAN to improve their knowledge of banking rules, policies, regulations and practices as these will be of immense assistance in the proper and safe operations of their banking transactions.

The body calls on banks to provide toll free telephone lines to enable customers make complaints and get solutions thereof as well as engage in other communications.

BCAN, however, charged CBN to urgently address the public on the fate of bank customers’ deposits trapped in Savannah Bank Nigeria Plc for the past 14 years and when the bank would re-open for business.

It commended CBN in the way it handled the recent case of Skye Bank Plc without loss of funds by depositors and therefore charged CBN to continue to husband affairs of the banking industry to ensure the health, stability, soundness and sustainability of the banking industry/system.