Nigerian banks announce nationwide strike from Tuesday

Nigerian banks have issued an official notice regarding an impending nationwide strike. The financial institutions have informed the public that financial services will be temporarily unavailable on September 5 and 6, 2023. In fact some of the banks were rendering skeletal services in Lagos on Monday. Some customers in some of the banks branches who wanted to withdraw above two hundred thousand Naira were asked to scale down the amount as there was no cash available. Some pretended that there was no network for them to work. In one of the banks a customer service officer rudely told a customer to sit and wait for network to come up. The customer waited endlessly and had to walk away from the bank. 

The directive to go on strike has been issued by the National Union of Banks, Insurance, and Financial Institution Employees (NUBIFE). The memo, dated September 2, 2023, bears the signature of the union’s General Secretary, Mohammed I. Sheikh. NUBIFE’s decision to call for this strike action aligns with the strike notice previously issued by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on August 31. Expressing their concerns, NUBIFE has accused the federal government of unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of trade unions, diverting attention away from the pressing issues related to the economy. The notice, which was made public, includes the following statement “in accordance with the communique released following the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) held on Thursday, August 31, 2023, all affiliated unions are hereby directed to instruct their members to participate in a two-day service withdrawal, commencing on Tuesday and Wednesday, the 5th and 6th of September 2023.

“This directive has become necessary to draw the government’s attention and serve as a warning against undue interference in the internal affairs of unions, rather than addressing the severe economic challenges currently faced by our nation. We hereby call upon all our affiliated unions to adhere to this directive by ensuring that all members abstain from their duties for the specified two-day period. Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated.”