Nigerians in Malaysia, especially students have pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to prevail on banks not to prevent customers abroad from using Nigerian Automated Teller Deposit (ATM) card.
The ban on usage of ATM card abroad is proposed for January 1, 2016.
Students who spoke with Daily Trust lamented that already many students were finding it difficult to withdraw money for their school fees and other expenses due to the recently introduced cash withdrawal limit imposed on customers abroad.
While lauding efforts being made by the new administration to improve Nigerian economy and curb corruption, the students pleaded that usage of ATM card should not be cancelled.
“There are over 5,000 Nigerians schooling in Malaysia. Most of us rely on money being sent from Nigeria. There is no job here. We use our ATM card to pay for our expenses. Banning it usage will cause a lot of hardship for us and may lead to the termination of some students education. Government should help us,” Ranti Abegunde said.
Halilu Rogo, Sola David, Sulaimon Kazeem and Abdul Kadir Laaro and other students suggested that government should devise another means of controlling capital flight and strengthen naira without making innocent Nigerians abroad suffer unnecessarily from the sins of the few corrupt Nigerians.
They also want banks to have a uniform amount that could be withdrawn monthly and address the problem of disparity in the commission being deducted by banks when transactions are made from Nigerian bank account.
The challenges being faced by the recently introduced cash withdrawal limit, inability to access fund and planned ban of the usage of ATM card are major issues being discussed in Nigerian community in Malaysia.
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