Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), on Thursday commenced enforcement of its regulatory mandates by sealing the premises of some courier and logistics operators over non-operational license.
The enforcement, which was carried out by the Courier and Logistics Regulatory Department (CLRD) team of NIPOST, also saw them confiscating some motorbikes belonging to illegal and unlicensed operators.
Speaking to newsmen during the exercise, the General Manager, CLRD, Gideon Shonde, said that the exercise was necessary to sanitise the sector especially as the Postal, Express, Courier and Logistics industry in Nigeria had become proliferated and infiltrated with so many unlicensed and illegal Courier and Logistics Operators, posing serious threats to Nigerians.
He said that some of the operators had been issued with demand notices since 2023, but they made no move to comply with the provisions of the law.
According to him, he and his team had visited Enugu before now with compliance level still very low.
He expressed concern that there has been unethical practices, such as price undercutting, pilfering, broaching, damages, loss and dumping of customers items among others.
Shonde also said that some of unlicensed operators also engage in poaching and subletting of operating licenses “with mountain of public complaints about customers being duped or obtaining money from them under false pretenses, no traceable office address nor registered brand name.”
He advised any interested private investor venturing into the Postal, Express, Courier and Logistics business to follow the due process and obtain a grant of operating licenses from the Federal Government.
“They should obtain a grant of Operating License from NIPOST postmaster general as stipulated by the extant laws or risk facing the full wrath of the law.
“We’re here for enlightenment, advocacy and to sensitise the people of Enugu State about the need to comply with the NIPOST Act Section 43 Cap 127 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria as regards anybody who wants to partner with NIPOST.
“Whoever wants to invest in this regulated space of Postal Express Courier and Logistics business, the law stipulates that he should obtain a grant of license from the postmaster general of the federation. Failure to do so, we will be left with no other option than to enforce the extant laws.
“This is the second time we’re embarking on enforcement. Unfortunately, the compliance level in Enugu is still low in spite of our enlightenment programmes with various stakeholders in the state.
“But we’ll continue to engage with the stakeholders and as well step up enforcement to enable more people get the operational license.
“We’ve actually done a kind of market survey where we discovered that the compliance level is very low.
“We have lots of illegal operators, lots of people who hide under the cover of courier to perpetrate all kinds of evil, unethical practices and unprofessional conducts. It’s not really safe and secure to have that in the regulated space. The industry is becoming an insecure environment
“We have thousands of complaints in our offices indicating that Nigerian people are being shortchanged,” he said.
