Customers Lament Bank Charges, Seek CBN’s Intervention

Customers of various banks have continued to lament the numerous debit alerts from their accounts despite their appeals to banks.

Some of them, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday, pleaded with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), and other relevant regulatory agencies to investigate the matter.

They said the charges were discouraging and unnecessary.

Helen Agodo, a customer with First HoldCo Plc, said that daily debits from her account by her bank were becoming unbearable.

Agodo said she could receive debit alerts of N1,000 from her bank account on some days.

” I do not blame some people who decide not to put their money in a bank.
”There was a day I calculated the debit alert charges that I received from my bank, it was up to N1,000 just for a day.

”You will now imagine the total amount the bank will get if they do the same deduction from 1,000 to 2,000 of their customers,” she said.

Miss Cheta Ugochukwu, a Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) Plc customer, described the charges as unfair.
Ugochukwu said the development was not a good or sincere business model.

”I do all my transactions electronically, which is the basis for CBN’s cashless policy.
”My bank charged me about N1,146 as an SMS alert for one month, which is too much for me.

”I wanted to disable my bank SMS when the amount was increased and rely only on my app receipt, but on second thought, I decided to leave it, but now, my mind is made up.

”I was even charged N100 as Electronic Money Transfer Levy contrary to N50 stipulated by the regulation.

”I wonder how they calculate this because it is unfair with the current state of the economy,” she said.
Usman Idris, a customer with Fidelity Bank Plc, said that more than N3,700 was deducted from her current account for maintenance.
Idris expressed regret that when she reported to the bank for clarification, she was asked to write to the bank officially.

”They told me to write because I asked for clarification, but when they wanted to withdraw my money, they did not ask for my clarification.

”This is so sad,” he said.

Roland Garba, a customer with Access Holdings Plc, appealed to the CBN, NDIC, and other regulatory agencies to investigate and address the complaints.

A bank official who pleaded anonymity said their bank charged customers in line with the CBN guide on bank charges. (NAN)