Competition boxes NIPOST into tight corner
Decades ago, the premises of Nigerian post offices wherever they are used to be central points where organisations, families and schools went to in order to receive or send their letters and other parcels, or those of their members. In this report, Weekly Trust gathered that though the services of the Nigerian Postal Service have […]
Decades ago, the premises of Nigerian post offices wherever they are used to be central points where organisations, families and schools went to in order to receive or send their letters and other parcels, or those of their members.
In this report, Weekly Trust gathered that though the services of the Nigerian Postal Service have depleted compared to how they used to be, some people still visit post offices to send and receive letters and other parcels. Our reporter’s observational visit to some selected post offices in Jos, Plateau State and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, can reveal that there are still customers who do business with the courier outfit. Weekly Trust also observed that there were inadequate working facilities within the post office environments, among others.
Inside the compound of one of the post offices, this reporter noticed that there were some unused delivery vans. However, inside the transaction hall, post office workers were in protected spaces behind chest-high counters with heavy Plexiglas windows on top of the counters and about 5-50 centimetre-sized holes in the glass for clients to communicate or slide in whatever item they have with them.
In order to fit into the computer age of operations, computer devises are displayed inside the halls and in some offices. But it was observed that much of their work was done and handled on handwritten forms, documents and receipts. Some customers who spoke with our correspondent said they have been sending and receiving their parcels through the post offices safely so far.
Chinenze, a lady whom this reporter saw at one of the post offices in Abuja, said she went over to the post office to clear some goods sent to her from the United States of America. “This is not my first time. I always come to get my parcels here in the post office. I used to receive laptops, books and clothes sent in sealed cartons. It usually takes weeks depending on the system you paid for,” she said.
She further told this reporter that the system at present is not as bad as people paint it to be. “Yes, they may not be as efficient as they should, but I think it is still not bad. Though I lost a couple of parcels sometime back when I started coming to get my stuffs from the post office newly, but after consistent transaction, I have been able to build a good relationship with some of the staff, and since then, everything has been relatively alright,” she said. She also said one thing she observed is that when a client is consistent, the workers tend to try their utmost to safeguard the person’s items. “Another side-attraction in dealing with the post office is that the charges are better than others in the business,” she said.
Thomas Shola, another regular customer of a post office in Abuja, said he often goes there to receive his parcels from the U.S. “My kid brother lives in the U.S. Whenever he sends parcels to us, I just go to the post office to clear and receive them. I do pay some charges. Even though I have lost some items before, I think that was due to address problem, so I now use my office address. Since the NIPOST staff realised that I work with an international NGO, my parcels have been safe,” he said. He also said it is possible that the international NGO office address he uses now is making the post office staff to be more careful with his parcels and cartons.
A customer who was seen purchasing a stamp said he does not engage in regular dealings with post offices as the advent of GSM and internet has made such communication easier. He said he bought the stamp in order to use it to post an application letter. “I am trying to post an application letter. The process involved surface mail with a handwritten address. All these government agencies have their funny and tedious ways of doing things. Imagine, in this age of internet communication, they are asking applicants to use surface mails and enveloped letters to send applications. I think it is just a way to make people patronise another government agency, which is the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST). Otherwise, what do you think would bring me here talk more of buying stamp? These are things I did 20 years ago,” he said.
In the effort of government to better the services of NIPOST as well as other operators in the business, stakeholders in the industry have reacted on the issue. The Bureau of Public Enterprises, the government agency responsible for reforming the postal sector, said a bill for the unbundling of NIPOST and for the establishment of an independent regulatory agency, is being worked on in collaboration with the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Communications, Senator Sylvester Anyanwu, said, “I have concern for a regulatory body in that sector, because NIPOST covers all the courier services and you see these courier companies coming up every day. Some of them are not registered. For some, when you send your mails through them, the recipients don’t even get them or when you send your packages, they end up missing. By the time you get back to their offices, you don’t see them.
“This is why we need the regulatory agency, so that it may be able to monitor what happens in this segment of the industry. Courier services in the country are quite huge now. We had expected these regulations to come in as executive bill. A regulatory commission is very crucial for the industry,” he said.
According to the Senate Committee Chairman, the postal organisation has been a drain on government coffers as the Federal Government spends about N4bn on an annual basis to cater for the remuneration of the workers.
“NIPOST has been a serious problem. With the advent of Internet and e-mails, they are not generating enough income from the sale of stamps as before. So NIPOST has to come up with ideas to keep it afloat, because if you see what is happening in developed countries that have postal services, they are going to other areas to making money. The only letters that NIPOST handles profitably now is bulk mails. For private mails, individuals now prefer e-mails and other digital systems,” he said.