Several Nigerian banks have embarked on system upgrades to enhance digital banking services and meet the growing demand for seamless transactions.

Tribune Online reports on Thursday that the National President of Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders, Importers, and Exporters Coalition, Chief Chukwu Osita, lamented the development and disclosed that some banks have started sending unsolicited messages to importers’ emails informing them that their system upgrades will take time.

He noted that the development gives cargo owners sleepless nights over the accumulation of demurrages and storage charges at the ports.

According to the frontline clearing agent, “We are still struggling to clear the backlog of cargoes trapped at the ports due to banking upgrades by some banks like GTBank, Unity Bank, and Zenith Bank, but some banks are still sending messages that their own system upgrade will soon commence.”

While the upgrades are aimed at improving efficiency and security, customers have expressed frustration over the disruptions caused by these processes.

In recent weeks, banks such as GTBank, Unity Bank, and Zenith Bank, and most recently Union Bank have undergone system upgrades.

Many customers have also taken to social media to air their grievances, citing difficulties in accessing funds, failed transactions, and prolonged downtimes as major challenges.

“The Mobile App took the worst hit. No history of your transactions again. It’s looking like you never performed any transaction with it before and even now, it’s not displaying any transaction record. You guys take charges from everything we do, get yourself good ICT personnels. Stop being faacking stingy!”

Another user, @givensmusicc wrote, “Gtbank will do 50 “upgrades” to make banking with them worse than it was?.”

“GTB you guys have done enough….please bring back our bank. Yes you all have raised funds to do system upgrade but why fix what is not broken. Did a transfer to it and I am yet to see it after 24 hours…. How are we going to do salary week like this??” (Nigerian Tribune)