Stiff Competition Jolts NIPOST

In a bid to find relevance in the fast expanding market, especially with mushrooming private courier service providers in the country, the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) has intensified its campaign to re-orientate its entire staff towards creating a better delivery system and economic survival.

The Postmaster-General of the Federation, Alhaji Abubakar Musa Argungu, admitted the fact in an address he presented recently at the inauguration of the Edo Territory ServiCom Committee in Benin-City, but promised customers better service under the new progrmamme.

The exercise is in part of the “NIPOST ServiCom Awareness/Public Enlightenment Campaign in the South-South Zone of Nigeria (and it) is part of our efforts to guarantee optimum customer reception in all our post offices throughout the country”, he assured.

He, therefore, admonished all NIPOST staff against allowing the past attitude of nonchalance and unreceptive dealing with customers too rear its ugly head under the present dispensation, saying the institution was poised to wipe out all forms of corrupt practices in it system.

Argungu, whose address was presented on his behalf by NIPOST Head of Public Relations, Ms Hussaina Charity Ato, noted that the NIPOST management had, within the past two years, “renovated over 300 post office buildings across the country in order to create a conducive atmosphere for better service.”

“We have moved rapidly from the an era of virtual monopolistic control over our markets to one of intense competition with the emergence of private courier companies. This development, coupled with the liberalization of the communications sector, gave rise to fierce competition in the market”, Argungu noted.

“Given this situation,” he said, “it has become increasingly imperative that any organization which whishes to survive and gain a fair share of the market must work hard to meet its customers’ expectations.”

About 40 percent of NIPOST turnover in 2004 was “paid as bonus to workers as an incentive”, Ato disclosed while answering questions on modalities being adopted by the management towards the realisation of NIPOST ServiCom objectives.

Stressing that the Federal Government’s anti-corruption campaign was alive at NPOST, she advised members of staff to “break down barriers to efficient and effective customer service delivery” and to report even a superior who might want them to connive in defrauding the organisation.

Earlier, the Edo territorial manager, Mr. Geoffery Obi, had stressed that everything would be done to achieve the new NIPOST spirited atrive towards excellence in service.