The Association of Senior Staff of Banks Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) has ordered all banks shut from Monday, February 20, 2023, to address the incessant attacks on bank officials and premises by irate mob across the country.
The directive is coming as more bank offices are under attacks as the currency swap policy implementation goes awry, with scarcity of Naira notes biting harder.
The assocoation, during a media briefing in Lagos warned that it might be left with no other choice than to order it’s members nationwide to stay away from work as the government continue to demonstrate lack capacity to protect their lives and property against protesters across the country.
ASSBIFI, in a follow up statement signed by it’s national president Olusoji Oluwole, and obtained by Sunrise on Friday, the association said it has been inundated with reports of attacks from members across the country a situation which might escalate in the new week as the currency crisis bites harder.
The letter, with reference number ANS/IIR/JA/OP/5018, dated February 17, 2023 and addressed to President and secretary of all it units is titled “stay at home order”. It reads:
“The National Secretariat has been inundated with reports of threats and attacks on lives and properties of members and bank branches, and subsequently has been on the field to monitor and confirm the reports.
“We issued warnings and appeals to Government to provide security measure for the safety of lives and properties of our members within and around the bank premises, but regrettably the attacks have continued without any form of security for the safety of our members, and the recent being the attack today. Friday 17 February 2023 on one bank branch at Epe. Lagos State.
“We cannot leave the lives and properties of our members exposed to obvious danger.
“Consequently, All members should beginning from today immediately stay away from work in any state where bank branches are attacked.This is to continue until normalcy is restored.
“Please Note, you will be availed further directives as events develop.”
Sunrise reports that there has been confusion Friday, over a directive purportedly emanating from the Central Bank of Nigeria, directing all Deposit Money Banks (DMB) to begin to receive deposits of all old currencies still in circulation.
While many of the banks, among them, First Bank of Nigeria Ltd., UBA Plc, GTB Plc, and Access Bank Nigeria Plc had issued notices to its customers notifying them that they are opened even on Saturdays to receive their monies, the CBN had swiftly denied the directive saying such did not emanate from it.
The bank said it would strictly comply with the directive of President Buhari who in his nationwide broadcast toed the line of the CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele in directing anyone with the old currencies to deposit them at the CBN offices nationwide from February 17, 2023.
ASSBIFI may have feared that the confusion over the implementation of the directive may spark the degeneration of the situation in the new week.
Sunrise reports that President Muhammadu had insisted that the policy is aimed at curbing vote buying ahead of the presidential election which comes up across the country on Saturday, February 25, 2023.
The President who pleaded for the understanding of Nigerians urged them to bear with the pain even as he urged them to go out on Saturday and vote for candidates of their choice as his government would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that their votes would count in the forthcoming presidential/National Assembly as well.ad the governorship/houses of Assembly elections, slated for February 25, 2023 and March 11, 2023 respectively.
Bromide of the ASSBIFI Memo to all it’s members:
