Bank customers across Nigeria are experiencing service disruptions as many banks undergo application upgrades they say are to improve service quality and delivery. The exercise has caused a lot of discontent and frustrations, particularly among those unable to access their hard-earned funds as inflation bites harder in one of Africa’s largest economies.
According to the banks, the upgrade process is complex and time-consuming. It involves migrating customer data and integrating it with various channels, such as Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), and Internet banking.
“We apologize for the inconvenience and encourage our customers to be patient while we work to enhance our services,” said a spokesperson for GTBank. GTBank announced its branches nationwide will close as early as 2.00 pm Friday to facilitate the transition to a new core banking application system.
Some customers have taken to social media to express their disappointment. Dr Joe Abah tweeted, “As fuel prices increase, fuel queues also increase. Worse still, many bank apps are down, and many PoS machines are not working, so even paying for fuel is a challenge.”
Access Bank postponed its core banking upgrade to reduce disruptions, while FirstBank announced that it would restore services on its mobile banking platform, Firstmobile, following downtime earlier last week.
Sterling Bank is still battling disruptions caused by its migration to a new banking application, SEABaaS. The bank adopted the domestically designed app to provide a better customer experience but has faced severe hitches.
Zenith Bank, one of Nigeria’s choicest banking brands, has experienced extensive disruptions since last week but announced Wednesday that it is now fit for purpose. After the upgrade, the new Zenith Banking app interface appeared feature-rich and more engaging.
Despite the challenges, banks have assured customers that the upgrades will ultimately improve operational efficiency and enhance customer experience. The Central Bank of Nigeria has also assured that the banking industry is robust and customer funds are safe.
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