Keystone Bank clarifies branches seal-off in Nasarawa

Keystone Bank Plc has said it branches sealed off in Nasarawa State was a mistake on the part documentation, stressing that the closed branches were reopened immediately.

It was reported last week that Nasarawa State Internal Revenue Service (NSIRS) had sealed off 10 branches of the Keystone, Unity Bank Plc and Skye Bank Plc for tax related offenses.

Speaking in an exclusive telephone chat with our correspondent, Divisional Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, Keystone Bank, Omobolanle Osotule, stated clearly that the issue between the bank and the state’s revenue agency was a documentation related issue.

She explained that the required documents were presented and all associated issues have been resolved instantly and the bank branches were reopened immediately for customers to transacts businesses.

According to her, “there is no issue between the bank and the state revenue service; our branches were opened immediately after they got the clarification that they required.”

She, however, surprised about the news of the bank closure in Nasarawa state, stating that the lender’s branches were reopened within hours.

“I wonder why reporting such stale information”, she clarified.

Before now, the Chairman, NSIRS Alhaji Usman Okposhi had pointed out that two branches of Keystone Bank were affected by the closure, as he stood steadied that the action by the state tax agency was backed by Section 104 of the Personal Income Tax Act that mandates tax authority to reconcile with the banks the level of compliance of the tax payers.

Meanwhile, the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) recently certified and granted full accreditation status to Keystone Bank Training Academy in Lagos, in recognition of its compliance with regulatory standards and best practices.

The bank, had explained that its certification came at the end of a recent evaluation exercise carried out by the CIBN which is the sole accreditation agency under the Competency Framework for the country’s Banking and Finance Industry put in place by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Keystone Bank Training Academy is a full-fledged learning and development centre responsible for the continuous building of skills and the expansion of knowledge base of new and existing workers of the bank.

In the letter communicating the development, the institute commended the bank for its consistent efforts towards meeting high standards for the benefit of the banking industry and larger economy.

Part of the accreditation is the exemption of trainees who are successful at the Keystone Bank Entry Level from nine courses from a total of nineteen in the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria Professional Certification examination.

Commenting on the award, the Group Managing Director/CEO of Keystone Bank Limited, Mr. Obeahon Ohiwerei said, “We believe strongly in the need for continuous learning and self-improvement.

Providing top-notch training is one way we groom and build our people to be more competent and vibrant, thereby launching the Bank to ground breaking achievements and performance overtime.”

“This of course will produce leading professional bankers who will lead not just the industry but the economy at large.”

Meanwhile, the lender recently reaffirmed its commitment to deliver unparalleled products and services to its customers with the recent launch of its new brand campaign tagged: ‘I Bank with Keystone Bank’.

The campaign is geared towards creating awareness for the corporate brand and positioning Keystone Bank as a partner and enabler that supports customers to achieve their goals through opportunities made available by the bank.

Speaking on the development, the Group Managing Director/CEO of Keystone Bank, Mr. Obeahon Ohiwerei said, “With the new focus/drive within the bank, we believe it is imperative for us to re-affirm our commitment to our stakeholders and to highlight the positive strides that we are taking in order to inspire confidence in our customers”.

“Every business requires a steady hand that lends the right kind of support and every year, Keystone Bank helps thousands of business people achieve their goals with consistent commitment to quality service. This is one major factor we wish to showcase with this campaign” Ohiwerei stated.

Keystone Bank is a technology and service-driven commercial bank offering tailor-made convenient and reliable solutions to every customer’s needs.

Motolani Oseni