The Postmaster General/CEO of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) Dr. Ismail Adebayo Adewusi has said that the implementation of the restructuring and reform policy at NIPOST was targeted at bringing postal services closer to the people.
Dr Adewusi made this known on the occasion of the 2020 World Post Day celebration with the theme ‘More Than Mail’.
He said the reform program which engendered a new vision and mission statement for the organization, no doubt has brought positive changes in NIPOST operations.
“I am pleased to inform you that NIPOST Management in its efforts to sustain the achievements recorded in the last three years of implementing the restructuring and reforms policy of the organization which resulted in the creation of Seven Operational Zones, Seven Commercial Business Units (CBUs) and one hundred and ten (110) District Offices was aimed at bringing Postal Services closer to the people as well as for administrative convenience”, he said.
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Narrating some reforms done at the NIPOST, Dr Adewusi said the primary function of NIPOST is to deliver mail both within and outside the country and the Management of NIPOST is taking deliberate steps to strengthen the operatives in this critical section to enable them to perform optimally for improved service delivery to the citizenry.
“In the last three years over 120 motorbikes was purchased for the last mile delivery and 32 Toyota Corolla vehicles were purchased with the IGR of the organization and distributed to the Zonal Heads and District Managers for marketing purposes. While the allowances of our Postmen, dispatch riders and counter officers who are our frontline officers were also reviewed upward to serve as an encouragement to these categories of officers.
“Similarly, Operators of the National Mail Route Network have between the month of September 2019 to the out-break of COVID-19 in the last week of March 2020 have performed optimally as there was consistent, regular daily departure and arrival of vehicles within scheduled time except on few occasions”, he noted
He further said as part of efforts to check the activities of fraudsters who use the post office to carry out dubious business transactions, NIPOST has put in place Surveillance Teams in all major post offices across the country to oversee the processing, bagging and dispatching of both local and international mail items.
“To secure the mail and other Cargos entrusted to us, we have erected cages and use tarpaulin to cover all items in our custody before dispatching such to their final destinations as well as safeguarding them from being exposed to harsh weather conditions or being tampered with,” he added.
He said in line with the Quality of Service (QoS) standard set by the Universal Postal Union for meeting customers’ demands, Nigeria is one of the UPU member countries to strictly adhere to the standard.
“In response to high demands by users of postal services that NIPOST should use its wide network to ameliorate problems of cash transfers, especially to rural areas, the Management has introduced a service known as Financial Services which also got the backing of the Central Bank to offer Agency Banking and international money transfer.
“The license enables NIPOST offer payment services to its customers as well as transfer money to other parts of the world from a post office location in Nigeria.
“As part of the FG’s financial inclusion program and through strategic alliances and partnerships, the Post Office is more than ever before positioned to deliver quality digital services such as the Conditional Cash Transfer program of government for the payment of the social security’s support to the low-income earners, especially those in rural areas where banks do not exist.
“The government is also leveraging on the spread of NIPOST to provide banking services such as the NIRSAL Microfinance bank for purposes of loans disbursements to farmers and to start-ups cum existing Small and Medium Scale Entrepreneurs.
“To date, NIRSAL Microfinance bank has over 55 branches located in major post offices across the country and more are still being constructed within the Post Office premises to meet the growing aspirations of Nigerians for the soft loan facility,” he added.
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