Postmaster General Moves to Revamp NIPOST

Emma Okonji

The newly appointed Postmaster General and Chief Executive of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Asiwaju Bisi Adegbuyi has declared that he will run NIPOST as a pure business organisation that will compete favourably with the best operators in the postal, courier and eCommerce industries.

Adegbuyi who reiterated government’s commitment to revamp the postal service during his first official visit to NIPOST operations in Lagos, said

he was mandated by President Muhammadu Buhari to turn around the organisation and make it economically viable within a short period of time.

In order to achieve the task saddled he was saddled with, Adegbuyi listed fresh strategies, which include the provision of digital tools that will enable staff members operate digitally with maximum efficiency, as well as re-training of staff for improved productivity.

He however warned the existing staff not to resist change, which he is about to introduce into the system, and called for their support and cooperation to succeed on his mandate.

We need attitudinal change because we have to first change our attitude to work, before we can collectively change the system in which we operate, Adegbuyi advised staff members.

According to him, the old saying that government has no business in business should not be the case with NIPOST because government organisations that are being managed by government in other regions of the world are doing well.

“There had been underachievement and underperformance in the operations of NIPOST, because the morale of staff has gone so low, following the neglect of staff welfare for too long. But the time has come for us to change and develop business orientation that will drive competition. I am a due process person and I will run a transparent government, so I need your support to succeed,” the PMG said.

“We must provide you with the tools that will make you work effectively. If you were supposed to operate digitally and analogue equipment became the only tools you have to operate, then you are not likely to achieve results as high as those operating digitally,” he said.

My mandate is to turn NIPOST to huge revenue-making organisation and the way to do it is to provide the tools that will make us competitive. The world is changing with technology and Nigeria is also changing, NIPOST must therefore change with technology advancement and the changes start will all staff members, including management staff and my very self, he added.

“I am aware that staff morale is very low because of poor condition of service, but I assure you that I will handle staff welfare in such a way that it will boost the morale of staff again,” the PMG assured NIPOST staff.

He however said there were challenges militating against the smooth operations of NIPOST in the past but assured the staff that the challenges were not insurmountable.
He promised he was going to create a platform where every staff could reach him, without any barrier.

I am a man with private sector orientation and I am business inclined, so I am going to use my skills and experience to turn around NIPOST.

I have a mandate from President Muhammadu Buhari to wake up the sleeping giant and turnaround the postal service for the better, the PMG said.

He explained that the potentials of NIPOST were enormous and believed strongly that it has what it takes to become a profitable business venture.

Responding, Deputy Postmaster General in charge of mails, Mr. Bala Wambai, told the PMG that NIPOST could be commercially viable, if given the right support. “We have the qualified staff, we have the capacity. What we need are facilities that will make us compete well in eCommerce and SME businesses in the country,” Wambai said. He however listed some of the challenges limiting the operations of NIPOST to include limited vehicles to carryout deliveries, poor remuneration, and lack of modern technology tools for postal operations.

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