Still on Nigerian banks and their ATMs, I think the best job one can do today is being a security guard at these banks.
Sometime ago, a friend(Bros.K) gisted me of his experience on a Sunday night as he wanted to go make a withdrawal at an ATM machine near his area. Sticking in his card, and requesting for NGN5,000.00(five-thousand Naira), he was surprised at what happened next. According to my guy’s story, the machine first released NGN10,000.00(ten thousand Naira), twice, making 20,000.00(twenty thousand Naira). It paused for like 2-minutes, then it released NGN20,000.00(twenty-thousand Naira), after which it(ATM machine) released his(Bros.K’s) requested NGN5,000.00(five-thousand Naira), making a total of NGN45,000.00(forty-five thousand Naira).
Bros.K, totally amused thought that perhaps the whole 45K was being deducted from his account balance. After his card was released, he stuck it in again, this time just to check his balance. He noted that it decreased only by NGN5,000.00(five-thousand Naira). Thinking about what to do next, he quickly noticed the security guard who by now had drawn close, and was standing behind him, and who was all smiles (he had watched the whole scene).
Turning around to face the guard, the guard goes: my broda, these thins sef, wey no dey work. Only God go help us for dis country o………………….bros mi, yo go see us small o, abi, make we take am buy pure water.
Bros.K tried to explain…… that perhaps the machine was releasing the money’s meant for people who attempted making withdrawals before he arrived, but to no avail, however, he(bros.K) said he was more surprised by the ‘lack-of-surprise’ of the security guards, who were all smiles. In fact, the second guard who later drew near confirmed that it was not the first time the machine would just start ‘releasing money by itself’.
With the guards expecting bros.K to share a little of the money with them, my guy made up his mind to return to the branch the next morning to return it over the counter. Not sure what the reaction of the guards will be, should he want to leave with the loot, he parted with NGN3,000.00(three-thousand Naira) with a promise that he will ’see’ them next time he comes around.
The next morning, bros.K showed up at the bank with his story of yester-night. The guards were happy to see him, but dumbfounded when he informed them that he came to return the money to the bank manager. Worse, even the counter ladies were not too surprised either. Wishing to make sure the event was noted and recorded, he asked to speak to the branch manager, a ’she’, to whom he turned over NGN40,000.00, left his name address and phone-number. According to bros.K, all the lady had to say was ‘thank you sir’.
Thank God for one-good Samaritan, but considering our make-money-by-all-means economic mind-set, I could just about estimate amounts that would have been debited into customers accounts, yet the cash fell into the wrong-customer’s hands.
Only God knows the amount/s of money that these Automatic Money Releasing Machines cough out by themselves in the middle of the night, at odd hours especially into the hands of such security guards - who have gotten the drift and secured their own ATM cards which they could use for ‘testing purposes’ in the middle of the night.
Very well, it doesn’t take Nigerians time to find out flaws in every hook and corner of technology.
Putting these security guards on the spot, I believe that in no time, these guys will become big boys, by the time the ATM machine in their banks/branches dispenses its contents into their hands freely during the night when no one is watching - every day of the week, and while customers continue to make all sorts of complaints in the morning.
No wonder, their Customer care phone lines are all dead.
