Mono-product, challenge to NIPOST, says Postmaster-General

The Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) says operating mono-product is a challenge to exhibiting its relevance in the country.

The Postmaster-General of NIPOST, Mr Bisi Adegbuyi said this on Tuesday during the two-day Lagos Zone Strategy Retreat on Implementation of NIPOST Vision 2020.

Adegbuyi said that to remain relevant, NIPOST decided to diversify its product.

He said that NIPOST had introduced digital stamp and receipt of its new electronic transfer system in Abuja on Oct. 9.

According to him, more innovative products are on the pipeline to move the organisation ahead.

”Perhaps, one of the greatest challenges to the relevance of NIPOST is in the area of product offering.

”For a long time, NIPOST has remained a mono-product organisation, focusing mainly on mail, that too is changing as evidenced by our innovative product launch of Oct. 9 and the various initiatives that are currently going on.

”On May 22, we kick started our journey into prosperity at Ogere, with the launching of our Strategic Roadmap captioned ‘NIPOST Vision 2020’.

”It contains our collective vision of becoming a thriving market-driven organisation focusing on innovation.

”The vision is our commitment to provide efficient, effective and reliable services with the aid of appropriate technology and a well-motivated workforce,” he said.

The Postmaster General said that the strategy was anchored on four pillars and 18 programmes.

He said that five months after the unveiling of the vision 2020, there was the need to evaluate and further reposition on the tortuous journey of ‘Posting the Post into Prosperity’ programme.

According to him, the journey is indeed tortuous because it is characterised with daunting but surmountable challenges.

”The corporate restructuring is taking shape. The Business Units are reshaping their products; the zones are now on ground supported by their Districts, while the Chief Operating Officer has taken full control of the operations for efficiency.

”In all of these, the zones remain critical as they are the field players and the foot soldiers who determine the victory or otherwise of this ‘battle’,” he said.

Adegbuyi said that barely five months into the implementation plan, the successes were already evident as the restructuring was going on well and visibility was improving.

Mr Abdulkarim Baba, the Director, Strategy and Business Development, NIPOST, said that the retreat was for the workforce to map out strategies toward achieving the vision 2020 targets.

He said that as part of the restructuring, NIPOST had already come up with innovative products and services to satisfy its customers.

According to him, NIPOST is scouting for more innovations to better satisfy its customers.

”Everything we do is geared towards satisfying the customers. There are other options out there like DHL, the courier operators, so we need to be market-driven to keep our customers.

”We will deliver our services and diversify our products so that the different customers can be attended to,” he said.

The Lagos Zonal Manager, NIPOST, Mrs Bola Ayeni said that the staff of the zone would do all within their power to see that the restructuring did not fail.

”We have been challenged to take NIPOST to its place of glory, so whatever it takes to take NIPOST to the next level, we will do so,” Ayeni said.

She said that the retreat was a way of stimulating the workforce to move NIPOST ahead.

According to her, the retreat would open the eyes of the employees more on the restructuring of NIPOST.