By Suara Sherif
FirstBank has commissioned a 24-hour self-service banking centre at the University of Abuja, with the bank’s managing director saying routine transactions no longer require a conventional branch.
Olusegun Alebiosu, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of FirstBank, said the Digital Xperience Centre is designed to move customers onto digital channels and reduce dependence on physical branches: “Our primary objective is to move customers onto our digital platform and enable them to carry out transactions digitally, 24 hours a day.”
“This is a university community, and we believe that its members are educated and capable of operating these machines,” he said at the commissioning on Tuesday. “What we have here represents virtually everything customers would ordinarily go to a banking hall to do.”
The centre will operate year-round, covering cash withdrawals, deposits, account maintenance, transfers, statements, card replacement and updates to contact details. “Whether you are leaving the library at midnight or arriving at 5am, you can access cash through the ATM, replace a lost ATM card, check your account balance, obtain your bank statement, update your email address, change your phone number or make transfers,” Alebiosu said.
Addressing security concerns that accompany automated banking, he said the centre uses layered authentication. Changes to passwords, phone numbers or email addresses require fingerprint verification, facial recognition and a one-time password sent to the registered phone before approval.
“This means that the system verifies the customer’s identity through multiple layers of authentication,” he said.
Prof. Hakeem Fawehinmi, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, said the centre addresses a longstanding gap, noting that students and staff had previously travelled outside campus for services the university could not provide on site.
