By Ononye VC
The Deputy Majority Leader,Anambra State House of Assembly,Mr Jude Akpua has vowed to initiate a bill for a law to make it easy for bereaved families to access monies of their bereaved ones trapped in the banks.
Mr Akpua was speaking in Onitsha on Wednesday,October 4, during a lecture organised by the Rotary club,Onitsha East,which was aimed at enlightening their members on the need for preparation of Wills and how to collect monies of their deceased family members trapped in various banks.
Mr Akpua disclosed that the the Anambra State House of Assembly had been receiving petitions from various bereaved families who wanted to access monies of their deceased family members from the banks but we’re frustrated either at the Probate Registries or the banks,adding that a new law or amendment of the existing one to ease the process has become urgently necessary.
Earlier in his lecture,a senior member of the Rotary Club and renowned human rights lawyer,Mr Chidi Obioha debunked a viral information on social media calling on bank customers to approach banks to request for what is called “Payable on Death”(POD)forms which would enable them to access monies of their deceased relatives when they are no more.
According to Barr Obioha,the information was not only misleading but was capable of causing disaffection between various banks and their customers.
However,while pointing out that their was nothing like “Pay on Death” forms in the banks,Barr Obioha said the only way out for families was for bereaved families to use the services of lawyers and other professionals to exhaust the process.