By: Godwin Otang, Calabar
Many banks in Calabar have shut their doors since Wednesday, 15th till Thursday, 16th February 2023, over fears of possible attacks by angry youths and customers due to difficulties in accessing cash.
The Banks are faced with endless queues of customers waiting to withdraw money, with some going home disappointed after waiting for several hours. Residents complain that the cashless situation is causing untold hardship and difficulties.
Our reporter who monitored the situation observed that some banks are still shut down today. Although some banks could dispense the old N200 notes to customers at a withdrawal limit of N20,000 per customer, others were not even open for business.
Before Official closing hours, almost all the banks in Calabar had shut down their Automated Teller Machines ATMs, barring customers from using them.
A point-of-sale POS agent, Miss Judith Okah, who was interviewed, decried difficulties, in getting cash. She said:”some of the banks were closed since yesterday. It hasn’t been easy, getting cash nowadays is a talk of war.”
A bank customer Mr Vincent Etim, said, “the suffering is too much, I know of only Zenith bank that played the old N200 notes today, I heard one other bank too is paying, but I don’t know how much they are paying, the suffering is too much”.
A public servant, Mr Okey Egu, explained that the cashless situation has caused his family hunger,” My family has no food stuff, we need to buy, but where is the money? This is really hard, we are learning in a very hard way in this country”.
Some business people like bar and restaurant owners have begin to accept the old N200 notes while others still reject it.
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