Nipost to commission IT system
The Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) has concluded arrangements to commission an Information Technology system that allows receivers of mail items to know the status of their mails while the mail is still in transit.
Speaking during the 2nd Bulk Post Venture Lecture at Sheraton Hotels and Towers in Lagos, the Postmaster General of the Federation, Alhaji Abubakar Musa Argungu, said when commissioned, the system would allow shakeholders access the status of mails from the computer right in their offices.
"The system, when in operation, will enable shareholders to know the status of their registered mail items given to the Post for delivery. Shareholders can access the status of the mail from the computer right in their offices."
He stressed: "We want to assure our customers especially the Association of Capital Market Registrars, that by the end of the second quarter of 2005, our Bulkpost Venture will be in a position to ensure that the status of every registered mail item can be accessed at any point of the delivery chain."
Argungu who spoke on the topic, "The Role of the Post in the Development of the Nigerian Capital Market – Issues and Challenges" pointed out that the major customers of the NIPOST Bulkpost Venture come from the capital market; and Bulkpost made almost a billion in revenue in the last four years.
Tracing the trnasformation in the Nigerian business sector over time, the PMG stated that from the days when the Post was the only means of communication, the modern business environment had witnessed tremendous changes and has become more competitive and sophisticated. This he attributed in the main to market liberalisation and emergent technoogical innovations, which gave businesses no option but to move with the times.
"As more and more companies got quoted on the stock exchange, the capital market became vibrant requiring an equally enthusiastic and vibrant postal sector that could meet the challenge of safe and timely delivery of rising volume of share certificates, notices of annual general meetings etc."
In words that could be interpreted to mean that earlier administrators of NIPOST did not move fast with changing times, Argungu continued, "this urgent need to change was unfortunately not recognised by the postal authorities at that time, as they continued to bask in the illusion of a monopolistic market.
"This unfortunate attitude kept the growth of the post stunted and unable to cope with the challenges of the dynamic business enviroment. With time, the quality of mail delivery, our core business, got into serious jeopardy. Letter took monehts to reach their destinations, some were ripped open and their contents pilfered. Frontline staff became rudeness personified.
"Thus a big gap was created that had to be filled by some other means. Courier companies therefore capitalised on the hopeless situation and began to spring up while many companies and registrars had to create mail delivery outfits to meet their mailing needs."
He pointed out howevwer that the situation has been reverced. "We recognised that postal services operate in an unprecedented dynamic environment. We equally recognised that the three forces that drive these dynamic and dramatic changes in the postal business enviroment are: the new economic forces of deregulation, globalisation, liberalisation and new forms of communications; increasingly intensifies competition from new providers in the electronic and physical communications market; and more aggressive customer demands since they have a lot of choices."
NIPOST new authorities also realised that the challenges posed by this dynamic environment of new economic forces, customer demand and new technology in the communication industry were immence and has indeed forced NIPOST from its old inefficient ways.
"When the new NIPOST management of which I am head came on board, we reviewed the hopeless situation in NIPOST and came to the conclusion that for any meaningful results to be achieved in the turn-around process of the organisation, the customer must become our main focus. Hence a number of structural reforms were introduced to achieve the goal."
To enjoy the efficiency of the new NIPOST, the PMG advised that AGM notices and dividends warrants and share certificates had to be posted early.
These and other challenges such as wrong addressing of mail, illegible street naming and disorganised house numbering, absence of mail drop boxes especially in fenced buildings and the like have continued to be issues NIPOST is tackling seriously.
