There seems to be no end in sight to the sufferings of residents in Warri and Effurun in Delta state despite last week’s directives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that commercial banks should open for business on Saturday and Sunday to enable bank customers to access their cash.
Visits to most banks in the twin cities of Warri and Effurun metropolis reveal that most banks were without cash.
At the Union Bank on Airport Road in Warri, customers were looking frustrated under the scorching sun as they waited endlessly. Some were seen leaving the bank after a long wait unattended to.
A lady while lamenting even as the baby strapped to her back cried uncontrollably, said, she came to the bank around 8 am and as of 1:30 pm, her number was yet to be called.
The story was not different for United Bank for Africa (UBA) at Enerhen Junction and Water Resources on Sapele-Warri Road branches, as well as First Bank branches visited, customers were seen in clusters lamenting the hardship in accessing cash.
It was however gathered that in line with the directives from the CBN, some of the banks opened for business on Sunday and paid across the counter.
Most of the Automated Teller Machines (ATM) were not paying, but a few that were paying had very long queues.
