The Postmaster-General of the Federation, Ms. Tola Odeyemi, has attributed the Nigeria Postal Service’s challenges in meeting delivery deadlines to inadequate road infrastructure.
During an appearance on an Arise TV interview program over the weekend, Odeyemi highlighted that financial constraints further impact NIPOST’s delivery efficiency.
On its official website, NIPOST asserted that intra-city deliveries are completed within 24 hours, inter-city deliveries within 48 hours, and nationwide deliveries within 72 hours.
However, when questioned about the service’s adherence to these timelines, the Postmaster-General candidly acknowledged the difficulties.
“I will be honest, we’re not meeting some of those deliveries. I think maybe we’re probably meeting the intra-city delivery targets. In terms of inter-state targets, because of road networks, sometimes financial constraints, and the availability of infrastructure, we are not able to meet some of those targets,” Odeyemi stated.
She suggested that NIPOST might consider revising its delivery timelines to align with the current circumstances.
“We’ve also been doing a lot of data collection to look at our timelines and to see maybe if we need to review some of them, particularly for non-priority items because we have a social obligation,” she added.
To ensure timely delivery of priority parcels, NIPOST leverages airlines, transporting these items by air to the nearest airport and then by road if the destination is not within the city housing the airport.
Odeyemi emphasized that NIPOST, while operating in the courier sector as a regulator, does not compete with private operators. Instead, NIPOST facilitates the industry by issuing licenses to international, national, and MSME courier companies within Nigeria.
“NIPOST is not a competitor to any of the courier companies that exist in Nigeria because we open up the space to these companies. What we want to be is the last mile delivery so it will interest you to know that a lot of courier companies, because they don’t have the Universal Service Obligation that NIPOST has, they don’t have the network across the country that NIPOST has, we still help a lot of them do their last-mile delivery,” she explained.
Additionally, NIPOST assists courier companies with processing outbound and inbound deliveries, utilizing its international mail processing center to facilitate exports and handle mail for international e-commerce companies destined for Nigeria.
“We’re not competing. We’re there to ensure that the sector grows and contributes to development in Nigeria, and we are there to complement their efforts,” Odeyemi concluded.
Prior to Odeyemi’s appointment last year, Nigerians voiced their expectations for a reformed NIPOST under the guidance of the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijan.
Among the key suggestions was for NIPOST to emulate the Nigerian Inter-Bank Settlement System and evolve into a driving force for e-commerce growth.
