The present situation of the Nigerian economy, may not have favoured Standard Chartered Bank Plc as the bank is finding it difficult to sustain its Ota branch.
The bank which is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but re-entered Nigeria in 1999 and opened to customers on September 15, 1999 has shut down its Ota branch in Oju-Ore axis near Sango- Ota, Ogun State.
The branch which used to enjoy a lot of patronage from foreign owned companies situated at the Ota Industrial Estate, has recently lost steam and the one-time lively branch of the bank has become sort of a ‘ghost town.’
To make matters worse, the bank shut down its operations in Ota on August 31st, 2017 notifying its customers that they are relocating to Aromire Street of Adeniyi Jones in Ikeja, Lagos to merge with their Aromire branch.
Pleading with their customers to bear with them, the bank, unfortunately lost its customers which comprises of expatriates, and Nigerian workers of foreign owned companies like De United Foods, manufacturers of Indomie Noodles.
In fact most of the companies’ workers in Ota who patronize the bank due to its efficiency has moved their salary accounts to another bank few meters away due to the distance of going to Ikeja-Lagos for banking activities that may require their presence.
Also, the collapse of the branch, has a resultant effect on staffers of Standard Chartered Bank as most of them were believed to have been officially disengaged, while few ones that were lucky to retain their jobs, now operate at Aromire branch in Ikeja, Lagos.