Nipost to Become One-Stop Communication Shop
Baring major changes in the direction and focus of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), the organisation is likely to grow into a one-stop shop for all communications services with particular emphasis on catering for the communications needs of rural dwellers, five years down the line.
The Post Master General (PMG) of the country, Alhaji Ibrahim Baba Mori stated this during his working visit to the SpeedyPrint Limited, a member of the Supperflox Group in Lagos.
He also maintained that the government-owned courier company still maintains considerable comparative advantage over any other courier company operating in the country presently.
Fielding questions on what NIPOST would look like in the next five years. Mori said the postal services provider would possibly grow into a one-stop shop that would cater for all communication needs of the Nigerian, particularly the rural dwellers.
“I want NIPOST to be a one-stop shop. I am not looking at the economy but our customers. Unfortunately, the tradition of the post that is known to be community-based service has been eroded and the cities have options but my uncles, cousin and brothers who live in the villages don’t have such options.
“We want to see most of our post offices being linked with internet facilities so that we can register our youths and give them the opportunity to browse, check and send mails at the various post offices across the towns and villages”, Mori stated.
He also bared his mind on the threat to the company posed by the presence of private sector players in courier and mail delivery services, arguing that the role of the latter is complementary when it comes to mail delivery services in the country.
The Post Master General also maintained that NIPOST still enjoys significant comparative advantage over the private sector players and as such does not feel threatened by the existence and activities of such operators.
“I have said time without number that private sector services are complementary to our role because there is no way you can compare the courier services of the private companies with what we have. I am not sure that you are aware that most of the services of these courier companies terminate where you have airports and probably seaports. If you are now talking about a mail going to my state, Kebbi, the best they can do is to get it to Sokoto. They might not be able to take it to my village.
“If you are talking of comparative advantage in terms of the things they have that we don’t have and vice-versa; when it comes to spread, there is no way private courier companies can match our business”, he asserted.
SpeedyPrint is a member of the Superflox Group and its speciality is in the production of security documents particularly for operators in the financial services sector, including cheques and statement of accounts.
The company has just been licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to print cheques for the consolidated banks operating in the country and the company has commenced printing of such security documents locally. Before now, such materials were being imported into the country.
