Being in Nigeria is hard enough but when you are a Nigerian who resides in the country, you would understand that living here could also be frustrating.
While people complain of not having money to spend, they also worry about the stress they have to go through when they want to withdraw from the automated teller machines known as ATM, they go through a different struggle entirely.
If you have ever tried using ATM in Nigeria, then you would understand that its a 50-50 chance, you can never be sure of what happens when you get there or if you'll be able to make a successful transaction. Below are some of the things you could face when trying to withdraw from the ATM in Nigeria.
1) QUEUES: This is the first thing that could turn you off when you try using an ATM in Nigeria. The queue is usually long & depressing,it would be difficult getting to do anything on days like that as you could end up getting stuck there.
2) WHEN YOU SUDDENLY SEE 10 PEOPLE IN YOUR FRONT: While you must have made up your mind to join the queue on days you have no choice, you would be shocked to see people who were not on the queue joining the line. These people claim to have been there before & only went to do something. At this your hope of been the next person would be dashed again.
3) WHEN THE MACHINE GOES OUT OF SERVICE: After you must have waited for long on the queue, the machine could decide to misbehave just then & go out of service. It is usually more painful when you have one or two persons in front of you when this happens. If the service is not restored immediately, that means you have to go to some other bank & start the struggle all over again.
4) WHEN THE PERSON IN YOUR FRONT HAS 5CARDS: This is another form of frustration, Imagine been on the queue for hours only to have the person in front of you bringing out five ATM cards. This means waiting for as long as possible before you finally get the chance to use the machine. The annoying part is most of these people are very slow & could take eternity trying to figure out how to use the machine.
5) WHEN YOU HAVE A NOVICE IN FRONT OF YOU: Indeed there are many annoying people in Nigeria, these people could have been on that queue for as long as you have been there yourself without mentioning their inability to use the machine.
When its their turn to withdraw, they would spend their more time trying to figure out how the machine works & would press almost all the buttons on the machine before finally asking for help.
6) WHEN THE PERSON BEFORE YOU KEEPS WITHDRAWING: Now this could make you cry especially if you want to withdraw a small amount from the ATM. You would be in constant fear as you do not want the machine to out of service when its your turn or stop dispensing. People like this are usually annoying as they would keep withdrawing like they want to finish the money in the machine.
7) TEMPORALY OUT OF SERVICE: Its finally your turn & machine is temporarily out of service. After wasting your time on the queue & having seen all sorts of people withdraw, the machine could blank on you & say temporarily unable to dispense cash.
But Nigeria's are very patient & could decide to wait, luckily a bank official may be around to load the ATM again.
8) YOU FINALLY WITHDRAW: Imagine the joy & relief that comes from been able to withdraw money, you feel satisfied & do not really care the time you spent to withdraw.
9) WHEN YOUR CARD REFUSES TO COME OUT: Your joy could turn cold after you withdraw & your card refuse to come out, you get stuck & your struggle starts all over again trying to figure out how to collect your card.
You may also worry about impatient people who are eager to use the machine.
10) WHEN YOU GET DEBITED TWICE: As if the devil wants to add salt to your injury, the network could act up & make them debit you twice. Normally the debit amount should be reversed in a few minutes but anything is possible in Nigeria, so you have to lodge the complaint as soon as possible if you ever want to get your money back machine is temporarily out of service. After wasting your time on the queue & having seen all sorts of people withdraw, the machine could blank on you & say temporarily unable to dispense cash.
But Nigeria's are very patient & could decide to wait, luckily a bank official may be around to load the ATM again.
