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Michael Adeyemi
Bauchi State Government has threatened to sanction any Commercial Bank hoarding the new Naira notes, thereby making life difficult for people in the state.
The government issued the threat through the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Barr Kashim Ibrahim, considering the hardship people have been subjected to due to the unavailability of new notes in all the Banks’ ATM points.
The government noted with dismay, the sufferings, and agonies people of all categories, ages, and statuses are going through, sleeping in queues just to withdraw monies at ATM points against the directives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) saying, that is unacceptable and must charge.
Recall that since the implementation of the disbursement of the redesigned new Naira notes, social and commercial activities have come to a standstill as the new Notes are very scarce and unavailable to the people making life very difficult to everyone.
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The government observed that it has now become a norm to see people rushing out of their homes at odd hours to be able to be in a queue at any ATM point to withdraw N20,000 as directed by the CBN to be able to meet their daily needs
The government, however, lamented that the main problem is the unavailability of the notes at the ATM points, thereby causing a chaotic atmosphere in all the Banks a development that has put the people in a very difficult situation.
The government further lamented that in most cases, operators of POS are making the situation more difficult as they always visit ATM points with many Cards to withdraw enough money for their businesses.
The State Government, in its move to reduce the hardship on the people, has set up a Committee under the leadership of Barr. Ibrahim Kashim to ensure that the new notes were made available at all ATM points to make things easier for the people.
The Committee went around all the Banks within Bauchi metropolis to monitor the activities but expressed dismay at the situation it found at Ja’iz Bank, where only one ATM was functional with hundreds of people on the queue.
The Committee found the same scenario at GTbank, Access, Tajj, and other points it visited, describing the situation as unacceptable in a civilized setting.
After interacting with the many customers who queued up behind the ATMs, the SSG engaged the management of the banks to hear what caused the problem and the possible way of correcting it immediately.
The SSG assured the frustrated customers that though it is a Federal Government policy, the State Government will not just sit down and watched its citizens suffer.
Kashim Ibrahim, therefore, directed all the banks to ensure that they stuffed the ATMs with the new notes to allow the people to withdraw the minimum amount set to reduce tension and hardship.
He also directed the Banks to engage the services of security agents to be stationed at the ATMs so there will be orderliness and decorum and avoid a situation that may lead to chaos, particularly with those who come with many atm cards.
The SSG appealed to the people to be more patient and bear the pressure of the present situation, assuring them that it will soon be a thing of the past.
Kashim Ibrahim however warned that the Committee will not hesitate to recommend sanctions against any Bank that is found wanting stressing that the CBN has justified that it dispensed enough cash to the banks.
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