ASSBIFI makes U-turn, directs bank workers to be in their duty posts

The Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions, or ASSBIFI, yesterday reversed a previous directive to members in states where banks had been attacked to stay off duty, saying that members in such states can now go to work because it has been assured that members across the country will have adequate security.

Recall that on Friday, the Association instructed members in states where banks and ATMs had been vandalized to avoid their duty stations until further notice in order to protect their lives and property.

But in a statement Sunday, the President of ASSBIFI, Olusoji Oluwole, said “Following the recent unwarranted attacks on members of ASSBIFI, other Bank workers, and the destruction of several branches across various states, and the failure of relevant authorities to condemn these acts of violence, we were forced to issue a stay-at-home order to our members to safeguard their lives and properties of the various organizations.

“Since the order was released, there have been several engagements with different bodies and individuals to address this ugly trend and we have received assurances that adequate security to protect lives and property will be put into place with immediate effect.

“Our Central Working Committee, CWC, has also met to review these engagements and immediate implementation of some of the assurances by various stakeholders.

“Based on the outcome of our discussion we hereby release the following statements: While our members will resume at their functional branches immediately, the safety and security of their lives remain paramount to us and we continue to demand that visible and adequate security is provided in all operational areas, particularly places that are traditionally known to be volatile.

“In the event of any threat of attack by the public without visible protection, they have been advised to shut down and move to safe locations until such a time that their safety can be guaranteed.

“While our members in locations that were attacked and assets destroyed may be unable to operate, we have advised other members to assess the security situation in their environments before opening for business.

“We are concerned by the inciting and threatening statements following the initial inability of Banks to accept old N1000 and N500 notes based on the instruction of the banking regulator, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.

“The Central Bank of Nigeria should issue o public statement across all the various communication media on the deposit of old notes by the public as the current information is conflicting and confusing. The general public should note that Bank workers are not saboteurs but only implementing policies as directed, and therefore should not be subjected to any form of physical or mental attacks from any quarters.

“While we assure the commitment of our members in discharging their responsibilities, we hereby call on the CBN to guarantee cash availability to Deposit Money Banks, and in accordance with the directives of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in order for our Banks to meet the needs of the general public.”