Lockdown relaxation: Customers throng banks, lament delay in transactions

Customers of various banks in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Monday, used the ease on the COVID-19 lockdown to visit the banks for various transactions but met heavy traffic.
Consequently, they lamented over the delays of their banks to attend to their transactions.
The customers described the delays as unbearable.
At various banks in Ikeja, Ogba, Agege, Somolu, Maryland, Iyana-Ipaja, Surulere and other areas, customers were seen trying to enter bank premises forcefully, even when security agents were telling them to be orderly.
In one of the banks at Dopemu, two customers were seen jumping the gate to enter the premises.
Many of those interviewed lamented that they could not enter the banking hall to complain about some financial online issues because of the mammoth crowd.
One Adisa Ajayi was seen complaining loudly that the ATM outside the bank was not working and he didn’t have any money on him.
Mrs Ngozi Uzochi, a customer who was seen in one of the banks on Jikwoyi-Nyanya Road, Abuja said that although the bank was trying to maintain physical distancing of customers, the delay was exposing the people more.
Uzochi appealed to the bank to devise some strategies that would ensure quick and fast banking by customers to curtail the spread of Coronavirus.
“I came here around 12pm, thinking I will leave almost immediately so that I don’t expose myself but what I am seeing here is far from my expectations.
“The banks are trying because they provided sanitisers and are checking people’s temperature but they need to do more because they should have expected this kind of crowd today (Monday).
“I have no ATM card and that is why I am here to withdraw money,” she said.
Another customer of the bank, Mrs Irene Adeyemi, who said she was at the bank to pay her house rent, said the delay would obstruct the agreement with her landlord.
“My house rent had expired before the lock down but I promised my landlord that I would pay him today but from what I am seeing, I can’t wait for this crowd.
“I wouldn’t want him to see me as a liar so that my integrity will not be at stake.
“I suggest that the bank should find a way to handle this crowd,” she said.
Mr Casmir Obale, a customer at another bank on Jabi-Utako road, said the situation negated physical distancing of COVID-19 preventive measure directed by the government.
“They are calling customers one after another to attend to them inside the bank. This is unacceptable because we have other things to do.
“I just left my business to transfer some money to my wife and children but what I see here is discouraging.
“With the crowd here, I doubt if I will be able to wait. They should look for other alternatives to attend to customers in time and still respect distancing,” he said.
An official of one of the banks, who preferred anonymity, said “we are attending to customers’ transactions within the best time possible”.
He explained that the slight delay was to maintain physical distancing and ensure proper screening of customers before they entered the banking hall.
“We are doing our best but we do not want all of them to come inside the banking hall at the same time.
“We are appealing to our customers to bear with us because we want to protect lives by curbing the spread of the virus.
“The bank provided thermometers and sanitisers to enable us to check every customer’s temperature before they come inside the bank,” the source explained.
Many customers were outside the banks premises waiting to be attended to before the 2pm closing time.