Undisputable, there is this tradition of long queues at virtually all the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) Galleries located in the heart of Lagos during every last month of the year; December in Lagos.
This year is not different just like last year and the year before. Ask any Lagos resident and they will tell you it is now a nightmare to use ATM without shredding sweets
“Especially at the banks at Oshodi, Abule-Egba, Berger, Mushin, Palm-Avenue, Okota, Barracks, Festac, Idumagbo, Ketu, Ikorodu, Ikotun, you just move around the experience is the same.
“What is seriously heartbroken is that, it has become annual rituals for residents of these areas to sweat before withdrawing.
Some residents said they faced a lot of discomfort just to withdraw money.
“If we don’t join the queue and be ready for sun bathe you cannot withdraw in this December period,” said, Okigbo a trader at Oshodi.
While attributing poor services of the ATMs to network challenges, the respondents also decried the attitudes of the managements or the operators of the machines to customers.
“These queues, which characterised the centers across Lagos, started since December 12. And it is always like that every year,” he said.
However, a bank worker who pleaded anonymity attributed the poor services to network challenges and appealed for patience from the customers, adding that they were working hard to resolve the issue.
This promise was, however, disputed by one of the respondents who claimed that the situation had become a yearly occurrence experienced by customers which had not been resolved.
According to Madam Iwofo “we are not just hearing this for the first time, in fact, this poor services of the ATMs have become a yearly ritual at this time of the year.
“Last December it was like this and they did promise to work on it, just like they are saying now, but what have we this year again.
“They need to improve and work on their network, especially against the backdrop of expected high traffic occasioned by the Christmas celebration,” he said.
Another resident, James Acha, decried the fact that Nigerians were virtually going through lot of suffering to get what they wanted.
“Look at me sweeting inside the sun. I have been here for hours. If you move round you will still see long queue at other banks ATMs.
“I just cannot understand this; that we worked extra hard to make money and another tortuous process to even keep it in these banks, and another challenge to withdraw the money,” he said.
John Ebidah said that he had to wake as early as 5.30 a.m. to use the machine, as most of them were not working because of network issue.
Ebidah stressed that none of the several ATMs on the airport road was dispensing cash as at 8 a.m. on Thursday.
“As I speak with you, even the banking hall is no different. It is filled with people trying to make one transaction or another,” he stated.
You would agree that ATMs were financial technology innovations initiated to tackle delay in banking service deliveries but in-spite-of, Nigerian still desire seamless ATM services.
