NIPOST owed N4.9m by customers in Benue region

The Nigerian Postal Services (NIPOST), is being owed a total of N4,963,000 by customers in the Benue territory of the organisation.

The amount which is being owed through charges on Post Office Boxes, Private Mail Bags and Special Delivery Services, according to the Area Postal Manager, Pat Onuekwusi, has retarded efforts of the new NIPOST management to fully meet its set targets.

In an address she delivered at a key customers “Consultative forum” which held at the conference hall of Benue hotel, Makurdi, the Area Postal Manager said inspite of the huge debt, Nipost in the territory was able to generate over N1 million between years 2001 and 2002, a figure she said was hundred percent improvement above what was realised in the previous year.

To enable NIPOST discharge her statutory mandate, the Area Postal Manager Onuekwusi appealed to customers of the organisation to renew their boxes and private mail bags to enable it render effective services.

She disclosed that the territory now boasts of functional vehicles for mail delivery, adding that with the in- introduction of national dedicated mail routes network “NIPOST now delivers mails within 24, 48 and 72 hours in terms of intra-city and inter-state mails respectively”.

Onckwusi also revealed that to ensure safe delivery of mails “NIPOST has also introduced multipurpose screening machines to detect bombs and explosive irrespective of imported postal materials sent to Nigeria, “adding that through the special delivery service for corporate bodies “you can now sit in your house or office and your mails will be brought to you in the comfort of your house or office”.

On staff welfare, the Area postal Manager said the Management of NIPOST under Abubakar Musa Argungu had introduced incentive to motivate staff including a car revolving loan scheme and a car refurbishing loan scheme adding that “many staff have started enjoying these arrangements which will soon get to territories”.

Customers who attended the event commended staff and management of NIPOST for “purging the organisation of unsavoury things” associated with the organisation in the past.

The Area postal manager also prevented this year’s merit award to some staff of the territory for distinguishing themselves in service during the last twelve months.

She disclosed that five-staff of the territory including Mr. Boniface Bees, a senior postal officers, who clinked the overall best stall of the territory, had earlier in the year attended a zonal interview at Minna award winners which will come up at Nicon Hilten hotel before the end of this month.