Three associations in the banking sector have assured the general public that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and commercial banks are collaborating to make the Naira available in the country.
Specifically, the Chief Security Officers in Banks (CSOs), Committee of Heads of Operations of Banks (CHOBs) and Association of Corporate Affairs Managers of Banks (ACAMB), said they are confident that things would return to normal as soon as possible.
They gave the assurances following a meeting in Lagos convened by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN).
In a statement on Monday by Mr. Rasheed Bolarinwa, President, ACAMB, said the three bodies gave the assurance in a communiqué at the end of their tripartite meeting on Sunday.
Part of the statement read: “The banks resolved to continuously engage customers on efforts being made to lessen the current hardship being experienced, pending when all the challenges will be resolved.
“The bank heads appealed to Nigerians, particularly the traders and merchants to embrace and adopt the cashless policy by accepting fund transfers from their customers.
“They noted that the random glitches associated with recent transfer options will also ease out in no distant time.”
They appealed to security agencies to increase patrol and surveillance on bank locations, especially those located in places prone to attacks, to forestall further attacks.
The communique also urged traditional institutions, heads community development association and leaders in various markets across Nigeria.
“They should educate their subjects and members on the immediate and long-term benefits of cashless policy,” it said.
Bolarinwa, however, urged bank customers to leverage several available alternative channels provided by banks to consummate 99 per cent of all their transactions and focus less on cash.
The ACAMB president re-emphasised that commercial banks neither hide nor hoard money they received from the CBN.
He assured that banks would make money received available to their customers Over the Counter (OTC) or through the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).
The emergency tripartite meeting was a fallout of the implementation of the CBN monetary policy that led to attacks on bank staff and facilities in some states across the country.
