BEVERLY HILLS, December 22, (THEWILL) – Many banks in different parts of Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, were unable to meet cash demands of customers on Monday as residents trooped out in their numbers to withdraw money ahead of the Christmas and New Year festivities.
Visits to some of the banks’ branches revealed a very rowdy banking day, with security personnel adopting all possible methods to manage crowds of customers who desperately needed to make withdrawals from the automated teller machines (ATMs).
The situation was compounded by alleged rationing of available cash by the banks as evident in most of the ATMs not dispensing cash, leading to very long queues on the few seen dispensing.
Between 09 am and 11 am when THEWILL moved rounds the banks along Woji Road and WKC area of the city, it was only Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) and Unity Bank that had all their four ATMs each dispensing to mammoth crowds.
Other banks either had some ATMs dispensing or all not dispensing to the frustration of customer, who preferred to use the ATMs of their banks, either for fear of service charges by other banks or ease of rectification in event of issues.
At Zenith Bank, not only was none of the three ATMs dispensing cash, no customer was seen waiting for possible rectification, suggesting that the problem did not just start.
A closer observation revealed that the three machines were completely out of network, implying that even those who came for transactions other than withdrawal could also not find them useful.
Next to Zenith Bank is First Bank, also with three ATMs. Like at Zenith Bank, none of the three ATMs were dispensing cash. But unlike at Zenith Bank, many customers were anxiously waiting for possible rectification of the issues.
“Why do these banks find it difficult to load their machines with cash, especially now that they know that people really need cash?”, one of the waiting customers, who refused to give his name, queried out of frustration.
“It even pays them more when people from other banks use their ATMs because of the charges that go with it,” he added.
Fidelity Bank with three ATMs had only one dispensing while two others could be used for everything but withdrawal.
At YKC, United Bank for Africa (UBA) with three machines had none dispensing. However, queues on the three machines suggested that the issue was expected to be resolved shortly.
“I don’t know what just happened; the machines suddenly stopped dispensing”, one of the customers, who simply gave his name as Uche, told THEWILL
Access Bank has seven ATMs, with four dispensing, two out of network and one useful for everything but withdrawal.
The situation is expected to get worse as more organisations pay December salaries. Some of the customers were overheard saying that although overcrowding and difficulty in making withdrawals are normal once Christmas is around the corner, the situation this year has been made worse by difficulty faced by banks in conveying cash from place to place due to high rate of bullion van attacks by highway robbers.
Efforts to get any of the officials of the banks’ branches comment on the possibility of improved services to cater for the high demands of the festive period proved abortive as none of them agreed to have the authority to do so.
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