Senator Shehu Sani has expressed dissatisfaction over the scrapping of free Automated Teller Machine withdrawals for other banks’ customers by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
In a post shared on X.com on Thursday, the former lawmaker said the increment of ATM charges would return the country to the era of Nigerians physically entering the bank to cash their cheques.
He wrote, “If the CBN continues to increase ATM charges, people will return to the era of physically entering the Bank to cash their cheques.”
This follows an announcement made by the CBN on Tuesday to scrap the three free monthly withdrawals previously allowed for customers using other banks’ ATMs.\
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In a circular dated February 10, 2025, the apex bank directed all banks and financial institutions to implement new ATM withdrawal charges from March 1, 2025.
The circular, signed by the Acting Director of the Financial Policy and Regulation Department at the CBN, John Onojah, is expected to accelerate the deployment of ATMs across the country while ensuring that financial institutions apply appropriate charges for the service.
This means that customers using another bank’s ATM will now be charged N100 per N20,000 withdrawal when using ATMs located within bank premises.
For withdrawals made at off-site ATMs, a charge of N100 per N20,000 withdrawal will apply, along with a surcharge of up to N500.
The surcharge, which will be an income of the ATM deployer or acquirer, must be disclosed at the point of withdrawal.