Taj Bank primed to collaborate with NOUN

The Managing Director of Taj Bank, Lizan Abdul Rahman, has expressed his bank’s readiness to establish a mutually-beneficial partnership with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

Taj Bank, the managing director said, is an interest-free bank that provides free banking services.

Abdul Rahman, accompanied by the Bank’s Group Head, E-Business, Sani Sallau, stated this during a courtesy visit to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Peters in his office at the headquarters in Abuja.

According to the MD, the main purpose of the visit was to congratulate the Vice-Chancellor on his emergence as the NOUN VC and to also seek for an establishment of “Agency Banking” in the university, akin to a typical bank branch with an agent desk.

He also stated that Agency Banking is an innovation of Automated Teller Machine (ATM) that does more than withdrawal, as, he stated, the conventional ATM machines are becoming obsolete around the world.

With the Agency Banking, students and staff can do a whole lot; ranging from withdrawal of money, depositing money, opening of an account and scanning of documents because scanners are embedded in the machine, he added.

“The Agency Banking is actually not in Nigeria, because it is expensive but we are willing and ready to provide such services to the university because of its unique nature,’’ the MD disclosed.

The Vice-Chancellor, in his response, welcomed them for the courtesy visit and indicate the university’s willingness to collaborate with Taj Bank.

“The idea is a welcome idea that will be looked into, but we will need the permission and approval of the Governing Council before its implementation,’’ he said.

Prof. Peters also presented his own request that will enable the accessibility to laptops for students and staff with a system of payment in instalment for over a period of time.

Consequently, the VC also proposed the need of a liaison officer who will serve the purpose of overseeing the proposal writing and liaising between the bank and NOUN.

The duo agreed that the proposal is doable and mutually beneficial.