There have been mixed reactions from
First Bank customers over the temporary nationwide closure of its
operations for an upgrading exercise.
Some branches in Lagos State witnessed calmness as customers were able to withdraw money via the Automated Teller Machines.
However, in virtually all the branches, customers had long queues to contend with.
At Ojodu/Berger Road, Lagos, Saturday PUNCH observed that customers were making withdrawals via the ATM points.
Some customers in Lagos commended the
bank for adequate publicity ahead of the exercise, but many customers
outside Lagos complained of inadequate publicity to enable them to
prepare for the consequences of the bank’s action.
In Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Friday, customers described the recent hitch being experienced in the bank’s operation as disappointing.
They said it was a common sight to find
customers crowding the banking halls with long queues at the ATM points
for transactions.
A financial expert, Tunde Alalade, said,
“This development is affecting in many ways. It reduces customers’
trust, frustrates business transactions and creates hiccups in
commercial activities. The experience is nationwide and one wonders how
long this would last.”
A Business Administration student of the
Polytechnic, Ibadan, Damilola Afolabi, said students’ registration was
affected as a result of the hiccups being experienced in the bank’s
services.
In Jos and Bukuru environs, all the First Bank branches were locked in line with the bank’s scheduled upgrading exercise.
At the branches at the City Centre,
Market, Ferin Gada and Bukuru, customers, who had no inkling of the
exercise, were seen around the bank premises.
They complained that they were not given
adequate information to enable them to withdraw some money to feed
their families pending the conclusion of the exercise.
A customer, who identified himself
simply as Haruna, said that he had an important transaction to make and
was surprised when he went to his bank and saw it closed for business.
In Ilorin, Kwara State, there were diverse reactions from customers over the temporary closure of First Bank.
Saturday PUNCH found that about
2.30 pm, many of the customers that went to the Geri Alimi branch and a
few other branches to collect cash via the ATMs were disappointed as the
machines were reportedly not dispensing cash.
But the experience was different at the
Unity Road branch, the bank’s head office in Ilorin and some other
branches in the metropolis.
At these points, many customers were seen queuing up to make use of the ATM, which was functioning well.
In Awka, the Anambra State capital, the closure of First Bank banking halls is taking its toll on its customers.
Many of those affected were traders at the Eke Awka market, the biggest market in the city.
Some customers seen withdrawing money at the ATM points said they had little to do with banking hall transactions.
Sunny Okeke told Saturday PUNCH
that he went to the bank on Friday morning to pay in the proceeds from
his transactions but he was turned back on the grounds that the bank did
not open.
Okeke wondered how he was going to keep the proceeds safe until Monday that the bank would open again.
Mrs. Uju Okoye, who was turned back at
the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway branch of the bank, said she was
desperately in need of cash to pay her rent.
“My landlady says she is travelling on
Sunday and wants the money now. The most you can get from an ATM is
N100,000. I don’t know what to do now?” she lamented.
In Ondo State, some First Bank customers lamented its temporary closure.
In separate interviews with Saturday PUNCH on Friday, they said they could not access their money through any of its branches or cash points.
Mostly affected are some of the Batch
‘B’ corps members, who said they were unable to travel back to their
destinations after completing their service year.
They alleged that the time of the notice
sent by the bank to customers on the issue was too short and that it
did not allow them to make adequate preparations.
Despite the prior notice given by First
Bank of Nigeria Plc that it would shut down operations to upgrade its
banking application system, a large percentage of customers were still
caught napping.
In Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, many First Bank customers said the closure notice was off the mark.
A customer, Emem Moses, said people
could use the ATMs to access their accounts, but added that they had to
endure long queues for between two and three hours, as they could
withdraw money via other banks’ ATMs.
He noted that on Thursday, only three
out of six ATM points in Uyo FBN main branch worked. He added that on
Friday, none of the ATM points worked.
A customer, Miss Iniabisi Eyo, said she had to suspend her business trip to Dubai as she could not get the money for her flight.
In Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital on Friday, customers bemoaned the closure of the bank.
Many of the banks’ customers, who
besieged the branches in Sapon and Pansheke areas of Abeokuta, kicked
against the action of the bank’s management.
At Sapon, a customer, Mr. Emmanuel Madu, told Saturday PUNCH that the action of the management had clearly demonstrated a lack of feeling and insensitivity.
Another customer, Mrs. Bisi Daniel
argued that the bank did not need to completely shut down its operations
because it wanted to carry out some duties.
At Pansheke branch of the bank, scores
of customers, many of whom were students of the nearby Moshood Abiola
Polytechnic, were seen loitering around the premises.
In Abuja, many of the customers, who
besieged various ATM points, were jolted when they could not access
their accounts for withdrawal or money transfer.
Some of them complained that the notice was so short even as it was not properly communicated.
A customer, who identified herself as
Comfort, said, “As you can see, the queue here is too long, majority of
the people have been complaining about the closure of the bank. Many of
us were not even aware of the closure because if we had gotten the
information earlier, we would have prepared for it.”
PUNCH
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayAdvertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
I live in Benin and for more than two weeks, First bank sent more than 5 messages informing us of this closure for upgrading exercise. The problem with most of us is we do not read all messages that come into our gsm. Please let us move with the times and read every messages on our phones not only Nollywood gossip, Nigerianeye, facebook and twitters. It is a different case if u are not knowledgeable!
ReplyDeleteRubbish.
ReplyDelete