Workers, especially primary teachers and those under local governments in Katsina State are subjected to intense humiliation every end of the month when salaries are paid. The gross inefficiency in the banks is left unnoticed, at our midst, largely because we failed to ponder how the problem affect all of us. Thi piece is aimed at such exploration.
Usually, at least, two days are spent by the above category of workers here in Katsina, always queueing up for payment before inefficient, ineffective ATM machines. The queues begin from dawn to dusk. Thus, the government, which pays these workers, looses these two days; instead of being at their workplaces, the workers are on the pay queues, thus, inefficiency creating another inefficiency. So every two days after salary, the primary school kids know that lessons aren't feasible; absenteeism encouraged.
The workers on their side cannot, in fact, must not be faulted. In the first place, they are humans, conditioned by their creator to eat. They must endure the queues to provide for their families' needs in order to have the psychological commitment needed by the work. They are humiliated in their thousands, for their own hard-earned money, they are forced to stand for hours under hostile whether, as you know, Katsina could be extremely hot and extremely cold.
The banks, all of them, without exception, have failed to provide what they promised. 24/7 banking service is the greatest lie of the century. You hardly go to bank and find all the ATM machines dispensing cash. These bankers have a trick. You find that only 1 single machine works. So people are deliberately, unnecessarily, exposed to that unjust treatment. Even beggars won't be treated less.
I know that the banks benefit from the state and its people. However, the reciprocity is not there. There is hardly any social responsibility being given by the banks in the State. The only thing I know of is a bus, donated to Umaru Musa Yar'adua University, by a bank I can't recall now. In Kano for example, Kwankwaso once compelled each of the banks to renovate roundabouts. The gesture was fantastic. The Katsina Government also should be thinking along that line hurriedly. This venture is supposed to be a win-win scenario. Right now, some moneyed-privileged class is making billions out of the poor workers who count days of the months every minutes, awaiting salary.
Finally, table payment was stopped mainly to make the payment system efficient. If the banks cannot make improvements, we would be thinking of alternatives.
Haba! Mu da kudin mu?
Dikko Muhammad.
Dec. 30th, '16.
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