James Emejo
Access Bank Plc, has reiterated its support for customers whose businesses may have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bank’s Regional Head, North Central and North East, Mr. Adebanji Jimoh, who gave the assurance, said it appreciates its customers and realises that “we exist because our customers exist”.
Speaking at the Access Bank Business Club engagement with customers in Abuja, he said the pandemic had impacted businesses adding that the bank realised the need to interact with customers to know the areas which they could be assisted.
Jimoh said: “And as you know, 2019/2020 and even till now, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of businesses have been challenged.
“So, we decided that we needed an interactive session to take back as to how we can serve them better and to also provide support where the need be because we need to all stay alive to grow and expand together.”
According to him: “So we are looking taking insights into how we can better support their businesses and also make them feel as part of the Access Bank family and that’s the whole idea of the club.”
He stressed that COVID-19 has had significant impact not only in terms of loss of life in some extreme instances but also in relation to market size.
He told THISDAY that, “What we’ve seen is that most people lost their market and we have to even reschedule a couple of those who have exposure with us to ensure that during this period we suspend interest on loans, give them interest moratorium, just to ensure that they remain in business. So that’s how bad it’s been.”
Jimoh, further expressed confidence that the interaction would embolden customers to be upfront about their issues so the bank could proactively address them.
He added: “So we expect that they also will take the necessary precautions because the pandemic is still here and there are protocols.
“We want to also engage them to make them understand that there’s the need to keep to those protocols and get vaccinated because you have to be alive to do business and that’s why we felt this is important to us.”
He said: “Our message to our customers is to keep faith, observe the COVID-19 protocols and be upfront by their issues so that we can continue to support them and we will grow together.”
However, one of the bank’s MSME customers who attended the event confided in THISDAY that the financial institution’s support to small businesses had been unprecedented adding that it stood by them in difficult times.
