In compliance with the two-day warning strike initiated by the Nigeria Labour Congress, banks, private sectors, government parastatals, and agencies are shut down across the country, especially in Abuja.
It should be recalled that the National Executive Council of the NLC, at the end of its meeting on August 31, 2023, resolved to embark on a two-day warning strike.
The union directed all its affiliate members to commence the strike, beginning from Tuesday, 5th, to Wednesday, 6th, 2023.
The strike aims to protest the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government without proper consultation with key stakeholders.
This is in addition to the government’s refusal to provide adequate and effective measures to mitigate the economic hardship resulting from the subsidy removal.
At the Abacha Road branch of UBA Bank, an employee, in conversation with The Explainer, confirmed that a strike is currently in progress. In fact, all our branches of the bank nationwide are presently closed.
When asked about the customers who were waiting, the staff member explained that they had opened for business earlier in the day before being instructed to cease operations.
Numerous customers who had hoped to withdraw cash for their daily needs were unable to do so, as the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) had run out of money.
At Polaris Bank, customers gathered at the entrance, patiently waiting for bank officials to open the gates.
A customer from Polaris Bank, when interviewed by The Explainer, expressed their frustration, saying, “Those of us who didn’t receive relief funds are unable to access our own money.”
Furthermore, there seems to be confusion regarding a strike that was supposed to start yesterday. The customer shared, “I wasn’t even aware of the strike, which led me to spend money traveling from Masaka to here this morning, hoping to withdraw money.”
“Unfortunately, things have taken an unexpected turn as the banks are now on strike, leaving customers in a perplexing situation. The lack of prior communication regarding the strike has only added to the frustration.
The customer lamented, “They should have at least sent us notifications about the strike, but we received nothing. They just went on strike. Now that they are on strike, and we can’t access our funds, what are we supposed to do with our money?”
At First Bank Abacha, an unnamed bank official stated, “We are currently facing operational challenges that have forced us to serve our customers in smaller groups due to their difficult situation.”
