Pantami Kicks, As Zero Budget Cripples NIPOST
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Pantami has advocated an immediate reversal of the zero budget status for NIPOST.
The Minister said the reversal became necessary because the trend has been the practice for so many years, a situation that had hampered the growth of NIPOST and the postal industry.
The Minister made the observation at the Courier Services Forum organized by Nigerian Postal Service, NIPOST, where he engaged stakeholders aimed at moving the industry forward for effective and efficient services to Nigerians. He said his role is to promote NIPOST and make it work for the country and the citizens. For him, there is a need for stakeholders in the Nigerian Postal Industry to come together and brainstorm on how to enhance efficiency in the industry in line with global best practices.
The Minister emphasized Rule Making Process as the first step in stakeholders’ engagement which is lacking in most government agencies.
Making reference to the just concluded United States of America general election, the Minister challenged NIPOST to brace up for the similar role the United States Postal Service (USPS) played in the processing of mail-in-ballot in future, as part of efforts to enhance Nigerian Postal industry in line with Nigeria Digital Economy Policy and Strategy.
In his own remark, the Postmaster General of the Federation, Dr Ismail Adebayo Adewusi praised the Minister for his intervention during the uproar generated with the release of the new regulation of Courier and Logistics business in Nigeria. Dr Adewusi said that the challenges and grey areas between stakeholders have been ironed out through positive engagement. He also commended the Association of Nigeria Courier Operators (ANCO), Nigeria International Air Courier Association (NIACA), and MSMEs for their cooperation. Speaking on behalf of the Courier Operators, President ANCO, Okey Uba, commended the Minister and the Postmaster-General for giving them audience during deliberations on the issues concerning the licenses fees and creating an enabling environment for them to operate.
He appealed for the Minister’s support for the development of the Postal sector and improvement of the industry, while he solicited for proper enforcement of the new regulations and to empower NIPOST to carry out Policy guidelines for the industry to thrive.
The stakeholders resolved to work harmoniously with the Ministry and NIPOST for social and digital growth of the sub-sector of the economy.
