By Godwin-Maria Utuedoye
Customers of commercial and micro-finance banks in Ughelli, headquarters of Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State, have decried the inability of the commercial and microfinance banks to make cash available on the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) across banks in the town.
SouthernVoicenews have been monitoring the situation in Ughelli for over 8 months, but observed that despite the numbers of ATM machines displayed at various banks gallery in Ughelli, customers constantly lament on daily basis.
A visit to a branch of the UBA along Isoko road in Ughelli shows that the bank operates about five ATM machines, but out of the this, only one occasionally dispense cash to customers for few hours in weeks.
At the Ecobank branch also at Isoko road, the story is the same as about seven ATM machines are displayed, but only two occasionally dispense money to customers for few hours every week.
SouthernVoicenews that has been monitoring events can authoritatively report that the situation is same at the Amju Micro-Finance bank, First bank Unity bank, Access/Diamond Bank, Zenith bank, keystone bank, Ecobank Ughelli market branch and the FCMB.
At the Ughelli Patani road along the East West road were the Union bank and First bank is situated, the story is the same as customers laments over their inability to withdraw their own cash from the banks through via the Automated Teller Machine cards.
A chat with a staff of one of the banks revealed that while network problems affects some transactions, some bank managers and top officials are involved in shady deals with Point of Sales POS, operators that collect huge sum of the money, hence the banks are unable to load the ATM machines as and when due.
“Bros, I hope you are not a journalists. The truth is that oga don’t want to release cash to the ATM because there are some persons who come to collect bulk money for POS purposes”.
SouthernVoicenews spoke with one Mr. Joshua Ofuani, a distressed husband who brought his wife to the Ughelli Central Hospital on emergency, but said, he drove round town to withdraw money at about 7:30pm, but all the banks atm visited couldn’t dispense #20,000 to buy a particular drug required at the emergency unit from the Pharmacy to treat his wife.
” It was by the grace of God I saw a POS operator who gave me money that evening, he said”. Joshua who work at Asaba said, the situation at Asaba was not the same in Ughelli.
However, a staff of one of the first generation banks who spoke to NNS in confidence, disclosed that the problem is operational misplaced priority. He accused top managements of the banks, noting that most time the bank don’t get the amount they are suppose to have in the banks. The source who wouldn’t want his name disclosed for fear of being punished indicted top management team for the ordeals and pains of the public.
Meanwhile, hundreds of customers has also complained of Internet’s bank transfer that wouldn’t go through, yet their accounts debited.
Almost shedding tear, a retired principal who only identify herself as Florence said; ” I am being frustrated by First bank here at the Ughelli market road branch. Can you imagine? The security man or gate man just slammed the gate against me hitting my hands badly”.
She alleged that the security personnel are so inhumane, rude, hard and publicly insults customers at will. “I have been here since morning and they gave me 325 as my number before i can enter the bank. I have been sitting under the sun amidst the mammoth crowed without sits outside the bank gate. What is the management of this bank doing? She queried”.
On different occasions in Ughelli, customers are seen moving from one ATM machine to the other in search of cash but also disappointed as cash is not loaded in the ATMs machines.
The response displayed by one of the ATMs of a first-generation bank was, “This transaction cannot be completed” and the second ATM machine said after several minutes; “Temporarily unable to dispense cash”.
It has become a normal routine as customers no longer believe in visiting ATM machines in Ughelli, instead, visit the PoS operators to pay heavily for their own cash.
Some banks’ ATM machines visited randomly by NNS during April, May and June were the ones owned by First Bank of Nigeria, UBA, FCMB, Access Bank, UBA, Unity Bank, Zenith Bank, EcoBank among others.
Efforts made to speak with the branch manager of First Bank Ughelli market road was rebuffed by the private security guard at the gate as he publicly pushed and denied this NNS of entering, saying you cannot come inside until it gets to the journalists number which was 385.
The story was the same at the UBA but there, the private security was polite to speak to this reporter that there was no way he could allow him in when other customers will not force their way in, but decline giving the managers phone numbers.
At the First bank along Patani road, the private security which is also from the same security company as the first, told this reporter to get away, as he has seen so many journalists and he is not the first.
The pains, and ordeal of customers are countless as they suffer a lot before gaining access to their own money.
This Correspondent also met a man who only identify himself as Solo Big, and he said; ‘saving your money in the bank is a waste of time as you won’t get it when you need it. ” My wife was in a serious Labour and I took her to a private hospital name with held and i was asked to make a deposit and also get a drug from a Pharmacy outside but the cash on me was not enough. I drove round the ATM machines in town but I couldn’t get just #5,000 and it was night already. There was no POS and if not for my brothers wife, I don’t know where I would have been by now. Now i am here this morning to withdraw just #10,000 but nothing is happening too.
The authority of CBN or other financial institutions saddled with the responsibilities of monitoring banks at this point, need to visit Ughelli banks to see how they can alleviate the sufferings of the public. And if it is true that the requires sum of money is not giving to banks in Ughelli and other places, the apex bank should look for a measure to look up to their demands.
Bank officials who make money available for only POS operators should also considered those who may not have the charges of the POS. And as for First bank Nigeria, Ughelli branches, there is the need to reduce the crowed waiting daily for one transaction or the other. They should also caution their security personnel who are prepared to fight with frustrated customers that visits the bank for transactions even as they should constantly load their ATM with huge sums of money daily.