Fidelity Bank: A Semblance Of Sanity Amidst Utter Disorder

President Muhammadu Buhari on 27 of April ordered the gradual easing of lockdown occassioned by the COVID-19 pandemic in two states, Lagos and Ogun and the federal capital territory, Abuja.

The decision to relax the lockdown, on the one hand, is due to the economic crunch and financial strait that the lockdown has thrown many into, and, on the other hand, the inability of the government to put in place a comprehensive and all-encompassing social intervention program and palliatives.

Subsequently, order states followed suit and also declared a relaxation of the lockdown with modification, adaptation and expansion of the federal government guideline on the gradual easing of the lockdown in accordance with peculiarities of the states.

Consequently,  Lagos government announced that partial reopening of economic activities would return to the state.

In view of this development, and as part of the efforts to create avenue for people to make ends meet without eroding the gains of the COVID-19 fight, the state government reeled out some guidelines and directives that would guide this return to partial normalcy.

Some of this guidelines are, mandatory use of face masks in public, maintenance of social distancing at every gathering and also commercial transport loading only 60% capacity of their vehicle.

Others include, selected days for opening of food market and non food market.

In order to measure the level of compliance with the new directives, Eko Hot Blog went around to access the situation of things.

Our reporter who went around disclosed that there’s widespread disregard for most of the directives, especially the social distancing order and 60% in a bus directive.

The situation in public places left so much to desire, from motor parks to bus terminal and bank premises, it was absolute dishevelment.

The situation was even more abysmal at banks, it was an eyesore. the incongruity of seeing  people flouting a government directive at a formal and organised sector of the economy is distasteful.

Due to weeks of cumulative frustration and financial decapitation occassioned by the lockdown, the banks had a difficult time contending with the avalanche of people that besieged it.

Also read: “Social Distancing, Face Mask, 60% In A Bus” — Tracking Compliance Level As Economy Reopens In Lagos

The situation in most of the outlets of the financial institutions Eko Hot Blog visited is the same. Tales of disorder, confusion and discomfiture.

However, there’s one financial institution whose outlet stood out from the ubiquitous chaos, where orderliness was pronounced and serenity reigned supreme.

A visit to couple of Fidelity bank outlets showed a relative sanity in the midst of mare’s nest frenzy. The organisation and smoothness of operation attested to the preparedness of the financial institution to the aftermath of the lockdown.

“The management of the bank foresaw what is happening in other bank today, so they had put in place a very strong measure to forestall the occurrence in our outlet” A staff of the bank’s Issac John branch in GRA Ikeja told our reporter.

The staff who pleaded anonymity because she was not authorised to speak on the issue said “part of the measures put in place is to have a canopy outside where about 20 to 30 people sit under at a time to avoid rowdiness and disorder, from this set of people, five, in order of punctuality, will be called into the banking hall to carry out their financial transactions”

She said this arrangement was part of the management efforts put the safety of workers and customers first and to comply with the directives of Lagos state government and NCDC on social distancing and other preventive measures.

She explained that only about 50% of workforce in each outlets resumed for work as the remaining staff, which she was part of, were asked to work from home.

She, however, served a note of admonition to members of the public on dangers they might exposed themselves with their indifference to the directives put in place by the government.

She implored them to continue to stay home and should only go out if it becomes exceedingly imperative for them to do so, asking them to make use of their face mask and hand sanitizer in public.