Customers may boycott Access Bank over poor services – Ogunbunka

One of Nigeria’s commercial banks, Access Bank, risks a mass exodus of customers over poor handling of its loan service, the president of the Bank Customers’ Association of Nigeria, Dr. Uju Ogunbunka, has said.

He disclosed this in an interview with DAILY POST at the weekend. 

Ogunbunka was reacting to an issue between Access Bank and a customer, Lydia Okodogbe, disputing an N18.81 million loan obtained in November 2022 valued at N26.3 million over a 36-month repayment period.

According to Okodogbe, Access bank had failed to offer her bank statement despite repeated requests since 2023. 

Access Bank’s refusal had prompted her suspicion over alleged foul play. Okodogbe further alleged that at one point she noticed a fresh loan entry of about N2.5 million, which she did not apply for. 

She said banks’ actions had crippled her enterprise, which led to at least 400 jobs lost. 

“My business suffered significantly. At our peak, we employed about 400 people, many of whom have now lost their jobs because operations became unsustainable,” she said.

She had urged the Central Bank of Nigeria, the regulator of the country’s banking sector, to intervene. 

Reacting, Ogunbunka said Access Bank had no reason to withhold customers’ bank statement requests. 

He stated that Access Bank’s poor services may risk them a mass exodus of customers if the issue is not addressed. 

“The customer is not asking for anything that should be too difficult for the bank to provide. The request for statements of account is within the right of the customer. The bank should avail the statements to her.

“The bank has no reason not to give her a bank statement upon her request if they have nothing to hide. 

“Access Bank should explain to her why they are not giving her a reply; they may face a mass exodus of customers following their ill treatment.

“No bank customers should be treated badly on whatsoever account,” he told the DAILY POST. 

Earlier, in a response to Okodogbe’s allegation, Access Bank, through its official, Hassan Dawodu, said the bank had taken steps to address technical issues affecting the customer’s account while continuing investigations into outstanding concerns. 

Meanwhile, the bank’s spokesperson, Olakunle Aderinokun, did not respond to a request from DAILY POST to give an update on the matter as of the time of filing this report.