BREAKING NEWS, Business
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Be ready to awake the sleeping giant, Minister tasks new Postmaster-General as he sets agenda for new NIPOST boss
| By Remi Adebayo |
THE new Postmaster-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Postal Service, NIPOST, Barrister Bisi Adegbuyi has been advised to work hard towards realising the change promises of President Muhammadu Buhari in relation to postal services.
Making the charge on Friday was the Minister of Communications, Barrister Abdul-Raheem Adebayo Shittu, in his address while inaugurating the new NIPOST helmsman in Abuja.
Congratulating the new NIPOST boss, the Minister reminded him of his mandate towards re-awakening the Nigerian postal service, which he referred to as the sleeping giant; charging him to re-position it to become one of the elite parastatals of government, considering its enormous potentials to contribute substantially towards revenue generation for the nation.
“We know that a reformed and commercialized NIPOST can play a key role in helping our Government of change to achieve its cardinal objectives. These include service delivery, both government to citizen services and citizen to citizens services through the adoption of cutting edge technology as well as financial inclusion services to alleviate poverty, create wealth and substantially generate employment for our teeming youth nationwide.
“I must let you know that you are stepping into an office that requires a lot of work to meet up with the reform promises we have made to Nigerians,” the minister said.
Adebayo reminded the new NIPOST helmsman, that it would require his devotion to deep thinking, radical ideas and team work for him to achieve the objectives towards attaining a rapid turn-around, a modern, responsive and efficient NIPOST that would be a pride to President Muhammadu Buhari and all Nigerians.
Setting agenda for Adegbuyi, the Minister reminded him that Nigerian Postal Service Act of 1992 gives exclusive rights of mail handling to NIPOST for all postal articles below 500 grams.
He however noted that the Service today contends with stiff competition from more than 200 legally licensed private operators and many others operating unlawfully in the sector.
“These companies are competing with NIPOST in various aspects of the postal market: not only in the market for courier items but also in the letter and parcel market; e-commerce and other counter and financial services and have effectively eroded the revenue accruable to NIPOST.
He highlighted some of the challenges faced by NIPOST to include inefficient management structure, low level of investment, obsolete infrastructure and facilities; poorly motivated workforce and unredeemed pension payments.
Barr. Shittu also fingered occasional loss and violation of mail items, intense competition from alternative courier service providers, unenviable public image, and dysfunctional internal system among myriads of problems confronting NIPOST.
Notwithstanding these identified barriers, the minister said these challenges were reasons why urgent and inevitable reform in the sector was imperative in order “to deliver on our promises for a new and efficient NIPOST”
In doing that, Barr. Shittu said the public confidence in the country’s postal system would be restored, and that NIPOST would be delivering on its statutory obligations.
The Minister also hinted of coming restructuring; “By working closely with the new management of NIPOST- which will be further restructured in the coming days – the ongoing reform activities by the Ministry of Communications will ensure that postal services are available to all citizens of the country no matter where they are at affordable cost and in a timely and efficient manner.
The purpose, according to him, was aimed at creating an enabling and competitive environment where independent regulation will thrive and also allow for broadening the scope and depth of services.
In addition, Shittu said the new reform would help to engage in productive financial services as agent banking, savings mobilization, payment and funds transfer system for the entire country through the vast and expanded postal network.
“The Federal Government intends to align the postal sector with global developments in information and communication technology and electronic commerce; clearly institutionalizing commercial practices in the sector in collaboration with private and institutional investors.
In the same vein, he intimated the new Postmaster-General with the approved policy thrust of the Buhari administration, contained in the new postal sector reform policy.
The policy, according to him, would see the Ministry of Communications responsible for policy formulation while sector regulation will be undertaken by the proposed National Postal Commission (NPC) and public postal operations will be handled by NIPOST.
“The designation of NIPOST as the Public Postal Operator is to fulfill the Universal Service Obligation (USO) of Nigeria, by maintaining and extending a nation-wide postal network and for the provision of affordable and reliable quality public interest services such as basic financial services, IT services and government services.
The Minister said the proposed establishment of Universal Postal Services Board with the important function of making appropriate recommendations to the government on Universal Postal Services development policies is underway.
He stated key provisions for the Postal Sector Policy have been incorporated in the harmonized Information Communication Technology (ICT) Sector Strategy Plan 2016-2020, produced by the Federal Ministry of Communications.
Barr. Shittu thereafter highlighted key deliverables areas that government expected NIPOST to contend with, including: postal, EMS and Courier Services, E-Commerce distribution; logistics & parcel services; financial inclusion services and administration of the NIPOST real estate.
In addition, NIPOST will be saddled with tasks involved in retails & government services; staff welfare, creation of employment and implementation of the National Addressing Policy as well as that of the Stamp Duty Act.
“With a workforce of about 10,500 and 1,184 post offices and postal agencies, the new NIPOST requires more hands to serve an estimated 100 million literate Nigerians. This is possible and worthy of consideration.
In 2013, N4.87 billion was raked in from stamp duty rates, Shittu is therefore optimistic that full implementation of the Stamp Duty Act and its efficient management would further shore up government earnings by adding N2.5 trillion to the purse of government annually.
“If we attain that feat, then our case for improved salary and better condition of service will be tenable,” he stressed.
Speaking earlier in his welcome address, the new Postmaster-General, Asiwaju Bisi Adegbuyi thanked President Muhammadu Buhari on his appointment.
He promised to be the chief marketing officer of NIPOST throughout the nation in order to showcase the much desired postal services to Nigerians. His words; “I, as a Postman will criss-cross the nooks and cranies of our beloved country Nigeria marketing postal services in all ramifications.”
He assured of his readiness to bring the nation’s socio-economic development and its cultural promotion to the fore; saying he would further project the positive image of the country to limelight among the committee of nations.
Admitting the challenges being faced by NIPOST, Adegbuyi assured the Minister that with the level of cooperation being received from his colleagues since his assumption to office, he was confident that the problems would be surmounted.
He appealed for cooperation among relevant stakeholders so that the desired full implementation of the Stamp Duty Act could see the light of the day; “It is pertinent therfore to mention that the economic base of the industry would be improved, if further impetus is given to the implementation of the Stamp Duty Act while the grey area stalling its implementation is speedily resolved,” Adegbuyi stressed.
He solicited the cooperation of the Ministry, NIPOST and other stakeholders towards fast-tracking the passage of the Postal Bills and the implications of the National Addressing System.
The new nation’s first Postman promised that NIPOST would key into the ICT and other activities required to achieve the change agenda of the Buhari government in Nigerian postal services.
— Aug 15, 2016 @ 01:00 GMT
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