- Police Continue Patrol In Asaba
By Andy Akeni/Chika Kwamba
Though the nationwide protest has come to an end in Delta State, residents are finding it difficult to withdraw money from most Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) of banks as they are not dispensing cash.
Most bank customers in Asaba and other parts of the state like Warri, Agbor, Ughelli, Sapele among others, were yesterday seen in queues in front of banks without success and thereafter, resorted to use of mobile money agents, specifically, the Point of Sales (PoS) operators for their banking transactions, most especially, cash withdrawals and transfers.
Our correspondent, who visited some banks, yesterday, in these areas mentioned above, reported that many ATMs were not dispensing cash with the exception of a few with long queues.
The few ATMs that were dispensing cash had withdrawal restrictions as most banks restrict withdrawal to N5,000 per transaction for other banks.
Most of the ATMs in banks along the Nnebisi Road in Asaba were just adding to the aesthetics of the banks as either they were not working at all or had no cash to dispense.
With this situation, which has been ongoing for a couple of weeks, the business of PoS operators in Delta and across the country has boomed significantly.
From major business areas to suburbs, bank customers are forced to pay PoS charges to operators to be able to access their monies lodged with the various banks. Although banks say they supply cash to their ATMs, most machines remain without cash most of the time.
A bank official, who spoke on anonymity, explained that their bank branches had limited cash and once the cash allocated to the ATMs were exhausted, there will be no cash in the machines till the next day.
A bank customer, Emeka Okorie, who spoke to our correspondent, said that he had been to the ATM terminals of his bank severally and only one or two would be dispensing cash, hence, long queues at the few dispensing points. “Because of the stress I pass through while trying to withdraw from banks, I have decided to use PoS for my transactions, even though there are charges attached, ” he said. Another bank customer, UmukoroOvie narrated his ordeal, saying “three POS operators before me used ATM cards to withdraw all cash deposited inside the ATM machines. The first one collected about N200,000 10 times with different ATM cards.
“The second person collected about N200,000 three times while the third person before it got to my turn collected N200,000 two times, but wanted to collect another one before the machine ran dry. Right at the front of the bank, one of them wanted to sell it to another customer behind me who could not get anything.” he said.
They appealed to the banks and government to show mercy to the suffering Nigerians who are currently facing economic woes.
… As Heavy Police Presence Continues In Asaba
Meanwhile, as the protest continues in some States of the federation, heavy security presence remains in Asaba, the Delta State capital, even after normalcy has returned.
At the Inter-Bua Roundabout and some strategic locations, security operatives were seen fully armed while commuters went about their businesses without being interrupted.
However, our correspondent, who monitored the activities in Asaba, the state capital and its environs observed that normalcy has returned to both private and public offices at full speed as workers report to their various offices and businesses. Some key public places included the State Secretariat, Prof. Chike Edozien Secretariat, the Federal Secretariat, banks and some business hubs like Shoprite, plazas, and the Ogbeogonogo market.
Also, traders and consumers were seen trooping in and out of the Midwifery Market and Anioma Market along Okpanam road to carry out their usual transactions.
Recalled that Nigerians across almost 36 states embarked on a #EndBadGovernance nationwide peaceful protest on August 1, 2024, pressing for a better economy amongst others the return of fuel subsidies.
