Ã’sárétÃn Ã’sádébà mwén
Stranded citizens in need of cash to prosecute their respective daily expenditures have thronged the Automatic Teller Machines (ATM) in Bwari Town, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to access cash.
The residents have attuned themselves to the endless queue which has become part of the experience at the ATM in the past five weeks.
Anthonia Attah said she arrived at the ATM on Tuesday at about 6:30 am, only to secure a spot of the 324 people, in the new arrangement following the understanding that ATM users must take numbers to promote organized use of the ATM by customers.
Attah said she needed cash to be able to run the home and make some purchases for school children like bread and she knows N10,000 can do it.
Hajara Alhassan, who is number 258 in the queue said many have resorted to coming every night to take their position and return home to come back to be in the queue.
She said women are no longer afraid of the night despite the insecurity in the country for which Bwari Area Council has had a fair share.
Alhassan said the risk women take to access money for their petty businesses and family is very disturbing.
According to her. This queue will last deep into the night, yet women have learnt to ignore the risk of molestation or being robbed by these bad boys of the hard earned money they have suffered in the queue to get.
Many ATM users, said the government should not push Nigerians to the limit, as it would not be justified that people would have to suffer to get their money.
Yakubu Tsoho, another resident in the Area wondered why to keep money in the bank when this is what you can go through to get your own money.
Nigerians who have transactions to make and had relied on the Point of Sales (POS) operators are turning back to the long wait at the ATM as the charges for withdrawal has not abated in the last two weeks.
Despite reports of arrest, operators of the POS are demanding between 20% – 30% for cash withdrawals.
Musa Alkali said he was forced to return to the ATM when the only ATM operator who had cash at Sabon Gari junction insisted he should pay N1,500, 30% of the 5000 he wanted to withdraw.
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