Users and business operators at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, have decried the total shutdown of banking activities at the airport, describing it as unpresidented.
Some of these users and business operators lamented that banking activities collapsed since the beginning of the week, and that the United Bank for Africa (UBA), being the only bank remained in operation at the airport closed shop.
Reacting to this when interacting with The Tide at the airport on Thursday, a business operator at the airport, Barry Nwida, lamented that business activities at the airport have been negatively affected, as no form of banking activity was going on at the airport.
According to him, all the two ATMs owned by the bank are out of use, adding that the bank has not opened for business since the week, expressing worries over the situation and it effects in the entire airport community.
“You can see that the UBA, being the only bank operating in the airport has closed shop. I was surprised to see that since Monday till now, the bank has refused to open for business, but their staff are all inside, and locked themselves inside.
“I do not understand what that means, and no body can go in there since Monday. We know the challenges of the Naira redesign policy, but in this case, and as the only bank still operating here, they ought not to have closed shop, meaning that all forms of banking activities in this airport is suspended”, he stated.
Barry, however, expressed hope that all the issues surrounding the Naira redesign policy will be settled after the general elections, and urged authorities of the UBA to reconsider the plight of the airport community, and render skeletal services to the people, just like other banks elsewhere.
Also lamenting on the banking problem at the airport, Mr Victor Anele, a travel agent at the airport,  said he has urged his clients to pay cash for their flight tickets, noting that he had suffered some setbacks on the bank transfer issue.
Anele said he is no longer willing to process any traveling client, who do not give him cash for that, and recounted numerous challenges he had suffered, especially within the week, following the closure of the UBA.
“The money I used to get from the UBA here at the airport to run my business is not forth-coming since the week, and I have been running to and fro to get money outside the airport, all at my expenses.
“The little gain one would make is going on expenses. It has never been like this, because I usually do all banking activities at the airport. But since Monday, the story has been different as the bank shut their door, and that was why I told my clients to pay cash for now”, he explained.
The Tide observed that the UBA’s door was closed, and staff members locked themselves inside, but only use the back door for recreation purpose.
Further enquiry revealed that they have not opened for business since Monday, and no reason was given for that.

By: Corlins Walter