When Access Bank Plc announced on February 24, 2025 that all its electronic channels were back online, customers breathed a collective sigh of relief after a day‑long blackout that threatened to stall millions of transactions.
The outage hit Nigeria’s capital and its surrounding states on Sunday, February 23, when the bank’s scheduled upgrade of the Oracle Flexcube core‑banking platform went sideways, shutting down USSD, internet banking, ATMs and POS terminals from 2:00 AM until 1:00 PM.
In a terse X post, the bank reassured users: “Our USSD banking is fully restored! You can now dial *901# to enjoy fast, easy, and seamless banking. Thank you for your patience.” The message was accompanied by a longer statement that apologized for the inconvenience and promised tougher safeguards for future roll‑outs.
Why the upgrade mattered
Access Bank’s core‑banking modernization was billed as a “phased” migration to Oracle’s Exadata and Private Cloud Appliance infrastructure, a move meant to lift daily processing capacity beyond 35 million transactions. The upgrade aimed to replace legacy middleware that had become a bottleneck for new digital products such as the AccessMore mobile app.
According to Oracle, the Flexcube enhancement would give the bank real‑time settlement, better fraud detection and a smoother customer experience across the 24 markets where the bank operates.
The disruption in plain sight
For ordinary Nigerians, the technical jargon translated into very tangible problems. One shopper, who asked to stay anonymous, recounted trying to buy goods worth N33,150 at a busy market in Amuwo‑Odofin Local Government Area. He could not complete the payment through USSD, leaving the vendor frustrated and the goods stuck on the shelf.
Another voice, Lagos‑based trader Chioma Alex, told the media, “My USSD transactions kept failing for two days after the upgrade.” A young professional named Michelle complained that her transaction history vanished from the AccessMore app, while Afeez Tunde simply could not open the app at all.
These anecdotes echoed a broader pattern that had plagued the sector in 2024, when banks such as GTBank, Sterling Bank and Zenith Bank endured weeks‑long service outages after massive core‑banking swaps.
Bank’s technical response and communication
Within hours, the bank’s IT war‑room rolled out a series of patches, restoring connectivity to the USSD gateway, the AccessMore API and the card‑processing network. By 1:00 PM, the majority of services were functional, and the bank’s X account posted a detailed timeline of the restoration steps.
Roosevelt Ogbonna, Group Managing Director and CEO of Access Bank, said in a press briefing, “We chose a phased approach because a one‑size‑fits‑all upgrade would have been riskier for our 60 million customers spread across three continents.” He added that the bank would continue to monitor transaction latency for the next 48 hours to ensure stability.
The upgrade also introduced Oracle Exadata’s high‑availability features, which automatically reroute workloads to standby nodes in case of a hardware glitch. According to an internal memo, the bank expects a 15 % reduction in transaction‑failure rates once the new platform fully stabilises.
Industry perspective: lessons from the 2024 upgrade rush
Banking analysts note that the 2024‑2025 period saw an unprecedented scramble among Nigerian banks to modernise legacy systems before the Central Bank’s new digital‑banking compliance deadline. While the rush delivered faster services for some, it also exposed weaknesses in change‑management practices.
“Access Bank’s approach was smarter on paper,” says Tunde Adeyemi, senior analyst at FinTech Research Africa. “But the reality is that any core‑banking switch of this magnitude will cause at least a few hiccups. The key is how quickly you can restore service and communicate transparently, which Access Bank did better than most.”
In contrast, GTBank’s upgrade in early 2024 left customers without online banking for over a week, prompting a regulatory warning from the Central Bank of Nigeria. Sterling Bank faced a similar saga, with ATMs offline for ten days in some regions.
What’s next for Access Bank?
The bank has already scheduled its next maintenance window for Sunday, April 27, 2025, from 12:00 AM to 6:00 AM. The notice says debit cards, the AccessMore app, Primusplus, ATMs, POS terminals and the *901# USSD line will be temporarily unavailable, while credit cards and dollar‑denominated debit cards will stay active.
Customers are advised to plan cash withdrawals ahead of the maintenance and to use the bank’s web portal for non‑critical transactions during the six‑hour window.
Looking ahead, Access Bank plans to roll out a new AI‑driven chatbot on the AccessMore app by Q4 2025, leveraging Oracle’s autonomous database to deliver instant support for common queries – a move that could further cushion future upgrade shocks.
Broader impact on Nigeria’s digital banking future
These events underscore the delicate balance between speed and stability in a market that is rapidly embracing mobile money. With over 60 million customers relying on digital channels for everything from school fees to small‑business payroll, even a few hours of downtime can ripple through the economy.
Regulators are now pushing for a more coordinated rollout schedule across the industry, aiming to reduce simultaneous outages that could strain the nation’s payment rails. If Access Bank’s phased upgrade proves resilient, it may become the template for other banks navigating the same digital transformation journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Access Bank’s upgrade cause a service outage?
The upgrade replaced the bank’s legacy core‑banking engine with Oracle Flexcube, which required a temporary shutdown of the USSD gateway, internet banking servers and card‑processing nodes. The migration was scheduled for low‑traffic hours, but unforeseen integration issues extended the downtime.
How many customers were affected by the February 23 outage?
With more than 60 million account holders, the outage impacted virtually every user trying to access USSD, mobile app, ATM or POS services on February 23. Exact figures are unavailable, but the bank reported spikes in support tickets and social‑media complaints throughout the day.
What steps is Access Bank taking to prevent future disruptions?
The bank is adopting Oracle’s high‑availability architecture, conducting extensive pre‑production testing, and rolling out updates in staggered regional phases. It also pledged clearer communication, with advance notices for any planned maintenance windows.
How does this incident compare with outages at other Nigerian banks?
Unlike GTBank’s week‑long internet‑banking shutdown in 2024, Access Bank restored services within 11 hours. However, both incidents highlight the sector‑wide challenges of modernising legacy systems under tight regulatory timelines.
When is the next scheduled maintenance for Access Bank?
The bank announced a maintenance window for Sunday, April 27, 2025, from 12:00 AM to 6:00 AM. During that period, debit cards, the AccessMore app, ATMs, POS terminals and the *901# USSD line will be offline, while credit cards and dollar debit cards remain active.
Comments
Amber Brewer
October 3, 2025 AT 05:38Access Bank’s quick restoration shows they have a solid fallback plan. If you’re still without USSD, try using the web portal for urgent transfers. Keep an eye on the X feed for any further updates on latency. Back‑up cash withdrawals early next week to avoid the next maintenance window.