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FG to segregate courier operators under new bill

By Bankole Orimisan
04 April 2018   |   3:02 am
A bill to segregate courier business operations across the country that has been at the National Assembly would soon be passed into law having passed through first and second reading at the house. This, the Senior Assistant Postmaster General and Head of Courier Regulatory Department, NIPOST, Ishaya Diwa, said at the clamp down exercise by…

A bill to segregate courier business operations across the country that has been at the National Assembly would soon be passed into law having passed through first and second reading at the house.

This, the Senior Assistant Postmaster General and Head of Courier Regulatory Department, NIPOST, Ishaya Diwa, said at the clamp down exercise by the Courier Regulatory Department of the Nigeria Postal Service on four courier companies for allegedly operating illegally in Lagos.

Diwa, said that clampdown exercise was to renew drive to rid the nation’s courier industry of illegal operators.

The affected companies include: Ondot Courier Limited, Golden Victory Express & Courier Services, Swiftlink Logistics Limited, Pronto Delivery & Logistics Services and Ebeco Express Company.

Similarly, NIPOST also revoked the licences of 17 courier companies for violation of laid down industry standards.

According to him, NIPOST, in its magnanimity, waited for four years before embarking on the exercise.

Diwa, explained that customers who still do business after the revocation order, stand a big risk, as the operators could be visited at any time by the CRD surveillance team, who will confiscate all items found in their offices, and proceed to prosecute the operators, if found operating behind sealed doors.

He said: “We are mandated to create a level playing ground for all operators which we have been pursing without fear or favour. The seventeen courier operators have been warned severally, in fact, in the last four years, to come and renew their licence.

“We deemed it unethical and unhealthy for the general public to continue to patronise them, because they have lost touch with realities in the industry.

“For you to continue rendering courier services, you have to obtain a licence and renew the licence every year. That allows NIPOST to continue to monitor your operations and ensure you do not lose touch with the operational guidelines in the industry”.

He described as dangerous to the society, continued operations of the operators who are not properly monitored as they could engage in illicit acts such as smuggling of banned and hazardous products.

According to him, the Federal Government lost about N6million in revenue in the last four years that the companies refused to renew their licences.

The affected firms include: Central Logistics & Support Services; Early Link Courier Limited; Ekene Dili Chukwu Express Limited; Fastlink Courier; First Choice Courier; First Post Express Delivery Services; and Latomie Global Business.

Others are Murphy Courier Services; Scansped Network; Tradeways Express; United Courier; Barnet Logistics; Big Courier; Cheersline Courier; Distinct Courier; International Express Logistics Services and Metropol Courier.

He said the action became necessary in view of the increase in the activities of illegal courier companies, which had affected genuine businesses in the country.

Diwa stated that apart from the illegal operations serving as an economic sabotage, “the activities of the operators create a bad image for the country, as the courier business is a worldwide industry.”

He said, “There are set standards for the operation of courier companies and Nigeria is not exempted. To us, the courier industry in Nigeria will adopt the best practice that is obtainable worldwide.

Illegal operators are usually unserious people; they dump people’s mails, engage in undercutting and under-pricing, which is not good for the legal operators and the economy.

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