Rita Enemuru, Reporting
SEVERAL Point of Sales (PoS) operators in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, have shut down businesses as the few left have taken to charging between N500 to N600 for N1000 withdrawal.
Strolling through Ikpa Road, Itu Road and Ikot Ekpene in Uyo Local Government Area, Stonix News noticed that most of the PoS stands were shut and the few ones operating had resolved to charge exorbitantly.
A PoS operator, who gave her name as Blessing Ekemini, said that she gave up being an operator because she hasn’t been able to get new Naira notes for two weeks now.
“As a PoS agent, getting cash is very difficult and that was the reason I stopped doing the business.
“You go to the bank, they tell you the maximum withdrawal is N5000 and nothing more. Then the queue for cash at the ATM is crazy.
“When I was still doing this business, I would stand for days to withdraw money and sometimes, when it got to my turn to collect, the machine would stop dispensing.
“Before things got to this point, I was able to withdraw N10,000 and N20,000 only, and that was when I go to my bank.
“When I went to other banks, I could only withdraw N1000 each and I was being charged for every withdrawal.
“Before this Naira scarcity, I could withdraw N150,000 at the ATM stand and N500,000 across the counter,” she lamented.
Another operator, Okon Sylvester, who charges N500 per N1000 withdrawal, said that withdrawing new cash from the ATM was not easy.
According to him, he had had to stand in queue for more than eight hours to get new cash from the ATM, so he is not being heartless with his charges, but only being compensated.
“If you go around this Uyo, how many PoS operators do you see operating? the ATMs in UniUyo where I normally go to collect cash are no longer dispensing cash.
“Sometimes, I go to about three to four different ATM stands at a far distance, queue for hours to get this cash and you expect me to charge N200 for N1000? I can’t oo.
“It’s not our fault. if it’s easy to get cash, everybody should go to the ATM to get cash before complaining,” he asserted without batting an eye.
Speaking with a female student of UniUyo, who lives off-campus, Stonix News gathered that some students haven’t had the luxury of eating a proper meal because market women do not take bank transfer.
Yet another student, Uduak, said feeding has been difficult because, though some food sellers do take transfer, his Fidelity Bank network hasn’t been helpful.