"Service Fully Restored": Nigerian Bank Apologises To Customers After 3 Days of Poor Network

• Unity Bank has announced that it has resolved the network issues that have affected its customers since Monday, September 2, 2024
• The Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria released a public statement on the issues
• The bank has apologized for the inconvenience and announced that normal services have been restored

Legit.ng journalist Dave Ibemere has over a decade of business journalism experience with in-depth knowledge of the Nigerian economy, stocks, and general market trends.

Unity Bank Plc has announced that its services have been restored after a disruption that had impacted licensed customs agents and freight forwarders in processing jobs and paying customs duties.

The disruption, which started on September 2, 2024, was caused by system maintenance, according to a statement from Matthew Obiazikwor, Head of Corporate Communications at Unity Bank.

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Obiazikwor said the bank had successfully upgraded its server, restoring full operational capabilities.

Punch reports that Frank Ogunojemite, the President of the Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON), recently expressed frustration over the inability of agents to conduct transactions at Unity Bank during the outage.

Ogunojemite highlighted that the downtime had resulted in significant challenges, including the accrual of demurrage and rent on cargo held at seaports and airports.

He said:

"Cargoes have been captured by customs using Unity Bank, making it difficult for agents to switch banks."

He emphasized that the situation was beyond the control of freight forwarders and called for compensation from Unity Bank to cover losses incurred during the disruption.

"We have been unable to capture and pay for our customs duty since Monday, September 2 due to challenges at Unity Bank.

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"Over N120 billion worth of cargo is trapped within these three days, causing substantial financial implications."

Unity Bank resolves service issues

In response to APFFLON, the Unity Bank assured stakeholders that all issues had been resolved following the system maintenance.

The statement reads:

"We have successfully concluded our system maintenance, and service has been fully restored on all platforms.

"We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused and reaffirm our commitment to delivering exceptional service."

CBN approves merger of two bank

Legit.ng earlier reported that the Central Bank of Nigeria is ready to support the merger of two commercial banks, Providus Bank and Unity Bank.

The move is part of the apex bank's efforts to enhance financial stability and efficiency in the banking sector.

The CBN will be offering over N700 billion to ensure the transaction is successful.

Source: Legit.ng