Abuja: As frustration mounts among bank customers across Nigeria, a wave of complaints regarding excessive debit charges has prompted urgent calls for intervention from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other regulatory bodies.
Many customers report feeling overwhelmed by seemingly relentless fees that undermine their financial stability, leading to a growing outcry for accountability and reform in banking practices.
Some of them who spoke to reporters in Abuja on Sunday appealed to the CBN, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), and other relevant regulatory agencies to intervene in the matter.
They said the charges were discouraging and unnecessary.
Mrs Helen Agodo, a customer with First HoldCo Plc, said that daily debits from her account by her bank were becoming unbearable.
Agodo said that some days, she could receive debit alerts of about N1,000 from her bank account.
” 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 customer of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) Plc, described the charges as unfair. Ugochukwu said the development was not a good or sincere business model.
”Personally, I do all my transactions electronically, and I thought that is the basis for the cashless policy of CBN.
”My bank charged me about N1,146 as SMS alert for one month, which to me is too much.
”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.
Mr 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
Clarifications were requested, and 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.
Mr Roland Garba, a customer with Access Holdings Plc, appealed to the CBN, NDIC, and other regulatory agencies to intervene in the matter and address the complaints.