Nigerians have called on Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, to urgently reverse the new policy on ATM withdrawal charges.

They describe the policy, which came into effect on Monday, as retrogressive and anti-people.

A cross-section of bank customers, who spoke to Daily Independent on Tuesday, said the new ATM withdrawal regime was causing heavy traffic at ATMs belonging to bigger banks as well as in some areas where many banks are not adequately represented.

They argued that before now they can transact businesses through the ATM without necessarily getting to their own bank’s branch, but that since Monday, things have been difficult with such transactions.

The customers complained of long queues at the ATM points of the big banks.

A customer, Adeyinka Moses, who claimed to have spent about three hours at his bank’s branch in Ogba, said the decision of the new CBN Governor as regards the reintroduction of ATM charges is “anti-people” and a way of making people pay for services that are free in other African countries.

“I spent three hours waiting to collect money at my bank’s branch here in Ogba and it was hectic because of the commencement of the new ATM charges.

“The CBN Governor should not take Nigerians for granted. The banks and even the CBN that are clamouring for financial inclusion are the same set of people pushing people away from banking with this kind of policies,” Moses said.

Medical Director of T&S Hospital, Lagos and President of National Problems and Solutions, a non governmental organisation, Wale Omole, said the policy somersault by the new CBN Governor, just under two years, is not in the interest of the people but to satisfy the elite class who own and run banks in the country.

“The decision of the new CBN Governor reintroducing the ATM charges has shown that the new leadership of the apex bank will not hesitate to introduce more of draconian policies. The Nigerian masses will reject it by boycotting some of these policies,” Omole said.

But in defence of the new policy, Managing Director of Ecobank and a member of the Bankers’ Committee,  Jubril Aku, said the reintroduction of the charges was geared towards sustainability of the banking business in the country.

He stressed that bankers reversed the policy due to the rising cost of ATM machines’ maintenance.

“If your bank has made its own ATMs free for you anytime you want to use it, then you should make use of it.