Femi
Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house of representatives, has called on deposit
money banks (DMBs) in the country to end unofficial charges on bank accounts
operated by their customers.
According
to a statement on Monday, Lanre Lasisi, the speaker’s special adviser on media
and publicity, said Gbajabiamila made the call when the board and management of
Standard Chartered Bank, led by Lamin Manjang, the chief executive officer,
visited him.
The
speaker said there are claims that commercial banks exploit customers through
what he described as “hidden charges.”
He said such unofficial deductions need to be addressed, alongside other exploitative measures such as high charges on loans.
“We have
issues that come up in your industry, so this visit is a welcome development.
One of the issues at stake is the rate at which banks charge customers,” he
said.
“There are
claims that banks have hidden charges. This has come up a couple of times on
the floor of the House. This is something that we should look into.”
On
marketing methods adopted by many banks, Gbajabiamila said banks need to avoid
any form of marketing which exploits their workers.
He
expressed concern over marketers moving from one house or office to another in
order to meet targets given to them by the banks.
“You have
corporations in the UK and other parts of the world. What obtains here in
banking, in terms of marketing – sending people to go and knock at people’s
offices and all that; does it obtain in those places?” he asked.
“If it
doesn’t obtain in those countries, it is not international best practice; why
should it obtain here?
“We are
here to support you. Whatever we need to do, we should do it to support you. We
need to know the kind of marketing that takes place. Is it digital marketing?
“We also
have to set realistic targets for the marketers. We have the responsibility to
protect Nigerians, and we also have the responsibility not to kill your
business. So, it is a delicate situation.”
In his
remark, the CEO of Standard Chartered Bank, said the marketing approach
identified by the speaker is not peculiar to Nigeria but added that it must be
guided by ethics.
Manjang, a
Gambian who took over leadership of the bank in 2019, said his visit was
necessitated by the need to reiterate the bank’s commitment to Nigeria.
“It is not
peculiar to Nigeria, but it has to be ethical. Teams usually go round, but the
ethical conduct has to be there,” he said.
“You need to have marketing for people to know
what you offer. If there are any abuses or conducts that are not ideal, they
should be called out and addressed.”
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com