NIPOST to operate as commercial entity soon – Minister

As part of measures to improve postal services in Nigeria, the Federal Government has approved a partial sale of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) with a view to making it operate as a commercial entity with a strong corporate brand.

Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, disclosed this recently while inaugurating the steering committee and project delivery team for the postal sector reforms and restructuring of NIPOST.

Shittu said the National Council of Privatisation, which is chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, had set up a steering committee to effect a partial sale of NIPOST.

The minister said the government has approved that NIPOST be partially commercialized in keeping faith with the Second Scheduled Part 1, Section 6(1) of the Public Enterprises (Privatisation and Commercialisation) Act, 1991.

He added that government would separate what had been the dual function of NIPOST as regulator and operator, stating that NIPOST will focus on its function as an operator in Nigeria’s postal system while he emphasizes the need for reforms.

“When passed into law, NIPOST will concentrate on its function as an operator in Nigeria’s postal system; hence the need for reforms so that it can make its pitch for a share of the now deregulated postal market,” he said

According to Shittu, the committee is expected to change the face of postal services in Nigeria, adding that NIPOST will be expected to operate as a commercial entity with a strong corporate brand when the committee concludes its work next year.

He said,“This committee is expected to take postal services in Nigeria to a new height in the face of the global challenge posed by new technology to postal services.”

The steering committee is headed by the Minister of Communications while Aliyu Maigari of the Bureau of Public Enterprises heads the project delivery team.

Ladesope Ladelokun