NIPOST: Thinking outside the box of postal services
Postal
By Funmilola Gboteku/Stellamaris Ashinze
Lagos, June 2, 2024 (NAN) In today’s digital age, postal services face significant challenges in maintaining relevance and staying competitive in an industry that is rapidly evolving.
With the rise of e-commerce, changing consumer behaviour, and advances in technology, postal services must adapt to meet the demands of an increasingly digital world.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday took a check on some posts about the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), a government-owned and operated corporation, on social media platforms, specifically LinkedIn and Nairaland, to gauge netizens’ perception about how the Service has fared with the evolution of technology.
The general perception was that NIPOST had lost its pre-technology glory and was dying, and though blessed with human resources, its equipment, infrastructure and style of operation were outdated and antiquated.
Commenting on a write up on NIPOST on LinkedIn, Ebenezer, a social media user, said that NIPOST, having lost its pre-technology past glory, would need to go back to the drawing board to embrace new technologies.
He said that its mode of parcel processing, sorting and distribution could be very daunting and would require modern automated processing equipment.
Ebenezer explained that “this will mean for it to scrap the old style of mail (package) sorting, processing and distribution.
“Being 10 dance steps behind, NIPOST needs to re-map its service regions via Zip codes or Post codes, to include newly built up cities, streets, roads, spaces by working along with real estate developers, getting approval from authorities at city, local, state and federal levels.
“Accurate mapping will be required to address gaps in both existing and planned infrastructure, to include updated codes.
Also commenting, another netizen, David, said NIPOST and Africa’s logistics infrastructure generally needed about 15 million miles of roads to connect wards, with villages, towns with cities, and transnational trunk roads with neighbouring countries.
Echezona, a LinkedIn user, on the other hand, said there was no need reviving NIPOST, adding that it should be allowed to die a natural death like the Nigeria Telecommunication Ltd. (NITEL).
In his own view, Nsikak, another netizen, said NIPOST had the infrastructure, human resources and competence, adding that all it needed was an upgrade or the government leaving it to the private sector to handle.
He said that last mile delivery was of utmost importance to the development of a nation.
Similarly, Fadeyi, another person commenting on LinkedIn, said NIPOST was not as proactive as before because there were no effective postal code system.
Innocent, on the other hand, said to revive the corporation, government should look for avenues to outsource the use of NIPOST infrastructure to private sector actors, who would add more value to the economy in the interest of the people.
Commenting on Nairaland, Habeeb, said the Nigerian Postal Service was his most patronised public parastatal and every time he went there, he couldn’t help but feel like he had been transported back in time.
“From the structure of the building, to the old staff, and the analogue and old equipment still in use; the post office screams of the nineties,” Habeeb said.
However, contrary to the opinions of many social media users, The Postal Manager in Kaduna, Mrs Tabitha Tauna, said during a road show, that NIPOST services still existed, as the evolution of technology had only improved the organisation’s service delivery.
She noted that some challenges, which included absence of street names and numbers in some parts of the state among other problems, were surmounted with phone calls (Technology), where one could be called to describe his/her location or go to the post office for collection of items.
“With this, the mobile phone which is perceived as a technology that ousted postal services, has only made our operations easier,” she said.
Tauna said that beyond delivery of letters and sales of stamp, NIPOST had diversified into some areas of e-commerce, which also had to do with internet and mobile phones.
She said that people could order for items online and certainly it would not be delivered online, but the human factor would be engaged for delivery, adding that delivering such orders to their destinations was in the purview of NIPOST.
The postal manager explained that NIPOST, which also engaged in agency services, was the regulatory body for all logistics services.
A NAN check of the NIPOST website, www.nipost.gov.ng, further shows that the corporation has diversified into other areas asides postal and regulatory services to generate revenue for the government.
The organisation said on its website that as part of its Commercial Business Unit registered by the Federal Government, most of its unused/underutilised spaces within and outside post office buildings in good locations nationwide had been leased out.
It said that there were warehouses for commercial leasing and operational use, space rental for third party uses e.g billboards, wall drapes, electronic displays and other signages.
The website also showed that the corporation had also gone into real estate consultancy/facility management services to the general public, such as estate agency, amongst other services.
Another NAN check of the NIPOST Branch Office at Ijora in Lagos State, shows that the organisation has gone into workshop services like producing various wood and metal furniture, fittings like wardrobes, sofas/settees, beddings, kitchen cabinets.
It was also producing dining furniture, office furniture and fittings, motor body building work, including truck cabins and tankers, doors and gates.
Other services observed included electrical works, coil winding works, plumbing services, corporate gift items, roof works, aluminum works, fitting works and vocational training.
Speaking to NAN in an interview, Mr Remigius Ihediwa, the Assistant General Manager, NIPOST Ijora Branch, said the vocational workshop was in top gear as it engaged in different wood works.
Ihediwa said that like other federal parastatal agencies, it was mandated to use its excess capacity to generate revenue, therefore meeting public and NIPOST needs since 2004.
“NIPOST workshop services include home and office furniture, metal works, chairs for students and church pews, among others.
The official added that the workshop was also used for vocational training, where people applied to train for carpentry, upholstery and electrical works among other skills.
“Individuals or organisations can also liase with NIPOST for training.
“NIPOST has supplied students’ furniture to both the Lagos State Government and the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
“We have also supplied pews to churches as well as carried out training for repentant militants during ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration,” Ihediwa said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
FOG/SKA/COF
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Edited by Christiana Fadare
