2019: First Bank dispels fears over elections, restates commitment to digitisation

Mr Gbenga Shobo, Deputy Managing Director, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, on Wednesday called on investors, bank customers and the general public not to panic over the forthcoming elections, noting that the elections would come and go.

Shobo stated this in an interview with our correspondent in Lagos.

He said the general election was a short term issue, ”It will pass and I’m very confident that there will be no major problem.

”This year is an election year but for us we will improve our services, our branches.

”We are putting things online to make it easier for people to use, and want the youth to open accounts online, as well as ask for online loans.

”We will be digitalising most of our services in 2019; changes would be seen from First Bank to improve customer experience to make it more convenient for customers to bank with us and improve our services.

”So, digitisation and automation are what you will be expecting from us in 2019.”

Shobo said fewer customers would have to go to the bank’s branches because they would be able to carry out their transactions online.

The deputy managing director said the bank had recruited over 14,000 agents to resolve the financial inclusion challenges.

He also said the bank would be commemorating its 125th anniversary in the course of the year to celebrate its customers.

”We are looking forward to that and we are planning that to celebrate our customers who have been with us and kept us alive.

”The events to mark the anniversary would be rolled out in this first quarter of the year,” he said.

Our correspondent reports that the bank recently extended the agent banking campaign to 14 major markets and business points across Bayelsa, Cross River and Delta.