Concern over new NIPOST fees
The Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) recently announced new fees for courier and logistic business operators, however local media sources report that The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy has ordered NIPOST to suspend the fees.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has ordered the Nigerian Postal Service to halt the implementation of the new charges on courier and logistics companies immediately, reports Punch.
In a tweet on Saturday, Pantami said: “Please NIPOST, our attention has been drawn to an increase of licence fee, which was not part of the regulation I earlier approved for you. Your chairman and PMG (Postmaster-General) were yesterday contacted to put the implementation on hold and send a report to our ministry by Monday. Best wishes!”
NIPOST increased the new license fees for Municipal operators to N1 million, and annual renewals fees to 40% of new license fees at N400,000.00 a year.
State operators’ fees rose to N2 million, regional to N5 million, national to N10 million, while international operators are meant to pay N20 million as license fees. All license renewal fees are pegged at 40% of license fees per zone.
The protest
Concerned Nigerians protested online with the hashtag, #SayNoToNipostFee.
NIPOST has said that the new regulations are to ensure efficiency in the sector as operators can operate on different levels they have licenses for.
In the statement by NIPOST spokesman Franklin Alao, the postal service says the regulation was brought in to ensure business growth for SMEs not frustrate them and create an enabling environment, adding that the Minister of Communications gave considerations before NIPOST arrived at the charges.
The statement read in part: “It is part of the strategies to ensure effective service delivery as consumers would know the capacities of the operators they are dealing with. Where there can be issues is where a courier/logistics company with capacity for a local government area wants to operate on a state-wide or nation-wide scale. This would not be acceptable.
“If your license is for a state, limit your operations to the state/ region.” Kindly note that consumers of the courier service would be better off as this will drive charlatans out of the industry. Genuine and serious operators would come back to celebrate this move by the NIPOST.”
