Kunle Adelabu
It was a mammoth crowd at some banks in Ikorodu today, Monday, May 4, 2020, the first day of the two weeks aimed at gradual phasing out of the month-long lockdown.
The total lockdown was ordered in Lagos and Ogun States as well as Abuja about a month ago by President Muhammadu Buhari and ended today as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu directed partial commercial activities.
As early as 6am today, residents of Ikorodu started trooping to their respective banks for transactions and to obtain Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards.
Among the banks visited by our reporters were First City Monument Banks (FCMB) at the Ikorodu garage as well as Zenith bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) and First bank, all located along Lagos road.
Most of the customers approached by our reporter for interview refused to speak, insisting that the situation was conducive and that they were only interested in getting their money.
A customer, who spoke with THE IMPACT at the FCMB, said that:
“You can see the situation yourself. It is not conducive at all. All that l am after now is how to get inside the banking hall and get some money because I have been home for over a month with nothing”.
Another customer who also spoke briefly, said that her ATM expired at the first week of the lockdown and it wasn’t a good experience that she can recall.
“I came here to get a new ATM card because I received SMS during the lockdown that it is read. My experience during the lockdown was not something that I want to recall because my card expired at the first week of the lockdown”, she said.
At the Zenith bank which also recorded huge crowd, the management provided a tent and chairs for their customers who besieged the bank’s premises.
The situation was the same at the Polaris bank, UBA and First bank as residents also turned out enmasse to carry out one banking transaction or the other.
Attempts by our reporter to speak with the managements of some of the banks visited proved abortive as it was a thug of war gaining entry into the bank halls while the security personnel of the banks had challenges controlling the crowd.
It would be recalled that Gov. Sanwo-Olu, in his address on Sunday (yesterday), had directed banks and other private firms to commence operations with 60 per cent of their staff strength and also operate between 9am and 3pm.
