After N24 million revenue drop, NIPOST mulls pact with Amazon 

• PMG decries poor performance 

The Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) has recorded revenue shortfall of N24 million in February 2020 due to poor service delivery.

This is even as the agency mulls a strategic partnership with Seattle-based American company, Amazon on eCommerce services.  

The Post Master General (PMG) of Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Dr. Ismail Adewusi, who decried the abysmal performance of the agency over the years, said that the agency’s performance is at its lowest ebb.

Speaking at a meeting between the PMG and District Managers of the agency, on Tuesday in Abuja, Chief Operating Officer of the organisation, Mrs. Lovetto Nnakanwa, disclosed that returns on Bulk Post Ventures for the most of February revealed a substantial drop, adding that against the N33 million monthly target, the sum of N9 million was recorded leaving a shortfall of N24million. 

He said: “The standard and target on the major products are failing, and with the new Universal Postal Union (UPU), the concept of quality of service linked to Special Delivery Service has witnessed a sharp decline due to the failure of our staff to encourage customers to subscribe to the service.” 

She decried that mail items were not delivered on daily basis, while in some Districts, mail delivery service was carried out once in a month in postmen walks adding that non-delivery of EMS/Speedpost items and parcels within our advertised time has discouraged many customers from patronizing the service. 

“A situation whereby EMS/Speedpost items or parcels are not delivered within 72 hours nationwide but kept for more than one week and up to two weeks is not only discouraging but also disheartening. The Special Delivery Service has witnessed a sharp decline due to the failure of our staff to encourage customers to subscribe to the service. Returns on Special Delivery Service show that few Districts still have customers for the service while the Districts where the staff demonstrate non-challant attitude did not make any returns.” 

According to her “it was discovered that the Circulation and Sorting Lists are not well maintained in most Post Offices, while the ones found hanging on Sorting Frames in some offices are faded and covered with dust. He added that the lack of effective supervision of e-commerce staff has led to poor handling and delivery of items.

Nnakanwa observed that the likelihood of NIPOST collaborating with Amazon, the global leader in e-commerce will be a game-changing strategy for the organization and stressed the need for all hands to be on deck.
 
The PMG in his address regretted that “NIPOST has been a butt of public criticisms over perceived lapses such as late delivery, failure to meet up with the set target, loss of items, pilfering, the substitution of items and other associated sharp practices being perpetrated by NIPOST rats with us.

“This bad stigma has negatively affected us in terms of loss of revenue and low patronage.”

However, Adewusi acknowledged that some staff of the agency are industrious, adding that “the present condition of service is very poor and disheartening.”

To ameliorate this situation, on the assumption of office, he said, a committee was set up to review the condition of service of NIPOST staff, adding that the committee was yet to submit its report.

On the claim by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), that it has the responsibility to collect stamp duty, Adewusi said, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy had intervened with a view to resolving the issue.