The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed commercial banks to open for activities on Saturdays and Sundays as the cash crunch bites even more harder across the country.
CBN has also confirmed that it has massively increased the supply of cash to banks to ease the scarcity of the naira, The Nation reported.
According to reports, the apex bank has commenced evacuation of bank notes from its vaults to commercial banks across the country.
The statement signed by Acting Director, Corporate Communications Department of the CBN, Dr. Isa AbdulMumin,said the evacuation is “part of a coordinated effort to ease the circulation of banknotes of various denominations”.
It said: “a substantial amount of money, in various denominations had been received by the commercial banks for onward circulation to their respective customers”.
In addition, the CBN also directed all banks to load their Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) as well as conduct physical operations in the banking halls through the weekends.
“Branches of commercial banks will operate on Saturdays and Sundays to attend to customers’ cash needs,” the apex bank said.
CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, will “personally lead teams to monitor the level of compliance by the banks in various locations across the country on Monday”.
Within the Abuja metropolis, the cash supply from the banks improved on Friday. Most banks at Garki Areas 7 and 8 were seen attending to large crowds of customers.
Another set of crowds was seen making withdrawals from ATM in old notes. The story was however different at Nyanyan on the outskirts of Abuja.
Some banks closed to customers as early as 12 noon because they were yet to receive cash from their head offices.
