Furore as customers move to close accounts at Polaris bank over alleged religious infringement

By Chioma Obinagwam

Polaris Bank is trending on social media for the wrong reasons as most customers of the bank have threatened to withdraw their money and close their bank accounts.

Confiance News gathered at the weekend.

This is coming on the heels of a purported warning by the bank to their employees over leaving their work place to observe Jumat prayers.

Although the bank has issued a statement refuting the memo by the supervisor on the subject, the customers (mostly Muslims) are still bent on boycotting the bank.

Confiance News also culled some reactions by tweeps on the matter.

Honourable Mubarak Mijinyawa, a tweep said, “Northern Muslims have sent a strong message to the entire private sector benefiting from them directly.
What happened to Polaris Bank will serve as a deterrent.
No one threatens our religion and gets away with it.
One of our mottos is that ‘an injury to one is an injury to all.'”

Sarki is elated to see the reactions of Muslims to the issue.

“Muslims coming together to boycott Polaris bank by withdrawing their savings from the bank after the bank warned their employees about leaving their work place to observe Jumaat prayers gives me nothing but joy. More of it pls,” he noted.

“I’m going to Polaris Bank first thing on Monday morning to withdraw what little savings I have in the bank,” he continued.

Human rights activists, Aisha Yesufu also loaned her voice, she said: “When we talk about discrimination that Muslims face many come to talk all sorts and call you all sorts of names. The Polaris bank issue is just one tiny fraction of what is really happening. The fact that many keep quiet and accept their faith doesn’t mean it is not happening.”

Another netizien, Al’ameen stated,”People hiding behind “every organization have their rules?” to justify what Polaris bank staff did. We aint asking for a whole day to perform our religious activities, all we need is some minutes. But Polaris should keep their rules and we will keep our money.”

However, Abdulraheem Muh’d appeared to be rational in his comments, he prefers dialogue to boycotting.

He said,”Let’s not be too emotional.
Rather than taking actions that can affect Polaris Bank’s operations in a way that could put it out of business and contribute to unemployment, We should dialogue with the bank to ensure provisions are made to cater to spiritual needs of Muslim staffs.”

Corroborating, Zaid, tweep said, noted:

“A staff of Polaris Bank independently sent a stupid mail and it got into the media space.

Polaris Bank itself already issued a disclaimer stating that it respects her employee right to worship

It makes no sense to me to cancel and boycott the bank after this disclaimer.”

Jumat is known as Friday prayer or Congregational prayer usually done by Muslims.

Nigeria, Confiance News reports, is a secular state where citizens are allowed to practise their religion without fear so long as it does not infringe on the rights of others.

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