CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The banking industry which is various bank put together to this industry consist of the central, commercial, merchant, development and saving banks. Central bank being the apex bank. Though banks are classified according to their functions, a detailed study of their various functions showed that they have common features and functions but with a slight and important distinction.

Just like other human activities, banking has a history which dates back to the 2500BC. The early known bankers have the jews in hombandy in Haley who transacted their business on benches in the market place.

The project examines customers services since the banking industry is with the aim of evaluating the level of satisfaction of customers in response to services offered. To do this effectively FBN PLC, Kaduna has been selected to serve as our case study.

Banking in Nigeria

The earliest recorded banking in Nigeria was by Elder Demister company and the African banking corporation in 1894. The banking activities of these corporations were later taken over in 1894 by the British West Africa. It remained as until 1971, when the colonial bank opened officers in Jos, Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt

The bank of British west Africa later become standard bank of Nigeria ltd and now FBN PLC. The colonial bank was also renamed Barclays bank. Its name change against to union bank of Nigeria limited on 12th March 1979. The first indigenous bank was the industry and commercial bank, which was established in 1929. It collapsed in 1931 and went out of business in 1936. In 1933 the national bank of Nigeria was opened. The next important event was not until 1945, when the Agbonmag be was established. The African continental bank was formed in 1946 as the Tinubo bank and changed to its WEMA Bank Plc, Bank of the North was established in 1959, Cooperative Bank was established on 1962.

There was also the emergence of the United Bank for Africa in 1949. The last four banks mentioned above are still in existence.

The first banking ordinance appeared in 1951 and ruled that no bank would be allowed to operate without a license from the government. The ordinance established the central Bank of Nigeria which take over the issue of ensuring monetary stability and sound commercial banking operation in Nigeria.

In order to develop the rural area economically, the federal government in 1991 also ensured the concept of rural banking, also known as community banks. Community bank was found in practice of the Africa society, it was to this end that the then central bank governor, late Alhaji Abdulkadir pointed out that “community banks are bound to Nigeria today.

The British and French bank which was established in 1947, later its name was changed to United Bank of Africa in 1961.

The Economic Importance of Commercial Bank in Nigeria

The distinguishing feature of a commercial bank is that it hold itself out as prepared to accept deposit of money from members of the public on current or deposit account to honour cheques drawn by its customers on their accounts, and to its customers and drawn on or issued by other banks.

Commercial banks deals in money, receiving it on deposit from customers, honouring customers drawings against such deposits of demand, collecting cheques for customers and lending or investing surplus deposits unit they are required for repayment. From the above functions of commercial banks it becomes clear that they are of great use to the government, the business community and the various individual, in the society. The government requires the corporation in execution its monetary policies, such as the restriction of expansion of credit as and when the need arise. In developing countries like Nigeria, the central bank is a substantial lender in the short term trough a treasury bill purchases as a lender of last resort to customers demands.