By Dipo Olowookere
On Sunday, during his nationwide broadcast, President Muhammadu Buhari announced a total lockdown of Lagos, Abuja and Ogun State from 11pm of Monday, March 30, 2020 for an initial 14 days.
This action was taken to curb the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), which has infected 111 persons in the country and claimed two lives. Globally, over 700,000 people have tested positive for the virus, with over 30,000 deaths.
It is envisaged that during the lockdown, though Ogun State will become effective this Friday after a plea by its Governor, Mr Dapo Abiodun, residents will need cash to purchase food items.
In a message to its customers, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) Plc said its ATMs would still be active in 63 locations across Lagos State, 11 locations in Abuja and eight locations in Ogun State.
The lender also said customers can make use of other platforms to carry out financial transactions, including online channels, the 737 USSD service, the GTConnect, Whatsapp and the Help Centre.
It said the GTConnect could be used to access all its services anywhere, anytime using Internet Banking, GTWorld and the GTBank Mobile Banking App.
Further, the *737# from the mobile phone can be used to transfer money, pay bills, buy airtime or data, apply for Quick Credit, and access other banking services.
GTBank said in the e-mail notice to customers, which was obtained by Business Post, that it was “also closely monitoring the development across States and will continue to review our operations in line with directives from the federal and state governments.”
While thanking its customers for choosing the bank, GTBank warned that, “Scammers may also want to take advantage of these difficult times.
“Please DO NOT SHARE your personal banking information with anyone. If we reach out to you, we won’t ask for confidential information such as your password, token code or personal identification number (PIN).”
Below is the full list of GTBank ATMs that will remain active in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun State during the lockdown period.
https://businesspost.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ATM-LOCATIONS-LAGOS_ABUJA_SOUTHWEST-3OGUN.pdf
Modupe Gbadeyanka 
Aduragbemi Omiyale