Customers of Zenith Bank are groaning over their inability to access their accounts or carry out any transactions almost 24 hours after the bank announced a routine IT maintenance.
Contrary to the promise by the bank that online transactions would resume after 2.30 pm on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, as of 8.00 am on Wednesday, October 2, customers of the bank are still unable to log in to their app, or do any online transaction.
According to some of the bank’s customers, the downtime attributed to IT maintenance since Monday, making it the third day they have been unable to access their money.
Customers groan
Many of the bank’s customers have taken to social media to express their frustration as the service downtime continues without any hope of restoration in sight.
One of the customers, Bassey Offiong, in a post on X wrote:
“Zenith Bank Plc! What’s the problem with your online banking platform? Is this not a height of insensitivity, recklessness, and negligence?
“How many more Nigerians must be plunged into distress, trauma, heart attack, depression, suicidal thoughts or sudden deaths?”
https://x.com/BasseyO65273190/status/1841372355823648951
On Nairaland, a customer identified as Samuel lamented that his family has been subjected to hunger as a result of the bank’s service disruption.
“The experience is really hurtful. Till now my children have not eaten because of one useless Bank which I deposited my money. The time slated has elapsed yet no network connection for any transaction to be carried out,” he said.
https://www.nairaland.com/8227995/zenith-bank-mobile-app-down/1
Another customer identified as Michael on X; said he had lost sales due to the Zenith Bank’s network problem.
“Zenith Bank network is bad since yesterday haven’t logged in to my mobile app making me lose a good sales opportunity, it’s high time I delete my account,” he stated.
https://x.com/kickassCopywrit/status/1841388884824916019
Routine IT maintenance?
In a message shared across its social media platforms on Tuesday, Zenith Bank said IT was carrying out a routine IT maintenance to improve its quality of service.
“Please be informed that we are currently undertaking a routine maintenance of our Information Technology Infrastructure, to enable us to significantly improve the quality of service rendered to you.
“On Tuesday, October 01, 2024, our Mobile Banking App., USSD Service, Internet Banking, and Corporate Internet Banking platforms will be unavailable between the hours of 12:01 am and 2:30 pm WAT.
“We solicit your understanding and offer our assurances that measures are in place to minimize any service interruptions during the exercise,” the bank stated.
- However, reports suggested that the bank may be doing more than IT maintenance but migrating its core banking platform to a new one.
- Zenith Bank, which previously used Phoenix, a software developed by London-based Finastra, is reportedly migrating to Oracle’s Flexcube, a platform used by many other Nigerian banks.
- For banks, switching their core banking software is a significant change that requires transferring large amounts of data and more rigorous action than regular IT maintenance.
Nairametrics’ efforts to get further details directly from Zenith Bank proved abortive as calls to the Banks Media Relations Manager, Ayoola Kusimo, were not answered. He also has not responded to a text message sent to him as of the time of filling this report.
What you should know
Tier-1 Zenith Bank was one of the biggest earners from electronic transactions in half-year 2024, according to its financial results.
The bank generated N41.2 billion in half-year 2024, a remarkable 85.6% increase from the N22.2 billion it earned in H1 2023.
For the period, the bank also upped its IT spending from N8.6 billion in the first half of 2023 to N23 billion in half-year 2024, representing a 167% increase.
