Commercial Banks in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa Capital, on Saturday witnessed heavy influx of customers at many Automated Teller Machines (ATM) centres.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that most of the ATMs were, however, not loaded with enough cash, to contain the situation.
A visit to Guarantee Trust Bank(GTB), Diamond Bank, First Bank, Zenith Bank, Skye Bank, United Bank for Africa and Sterling Bank revealed horde waiting to collect cash from the machines.
Mr Famous Awala, a First Bank customer at Imgbi Road, said he was not surprised to see the queues at the bank.
Awala, a civil servant, said he just received his December salary and decided to get some money to shop for the Christmas celebrations only to encounter the crowd that early in the morning.
Also lamenting the situation, Mrs Beauty Agulata, a customer at GTB Amarata, said she came to withdraw money to make transfers to family members only to meet a long queue.
“People are complaining that the economy is bad and there is no money, yet the ATMs are crowded always, when it comes for celebration.
“Although I am happy that all the machines are dispensing cash, unlike other banks that only one or two are functional,’’ she said.
At the Zenith Bank Amarata, a customer, Miss Chineye Theo, told NAN that she just wanted to get some money from her mother’s salary.
“Although the queue is lesser here, people are just trying to manage and some of our parents who are wise are trying to save for next year school fees.
“We only pray for people to survive in this country as people are really suffering and can barely feed well, let alone spending extravagantly for Christmas celebration,” she said.
Security personnel at GTB, Mr Ameri Padei, said the machines were fully loaded to serve the public during this festive period.
The security guard said that the queues had increased because December salaries had just been paid.