From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
Postmaster General of the Federation (NIPOST), Dr. Ismail Adebayo Adewusi has called on the Lagos State House of Assembly for Legislative support that will strengthen the Courier Regulatory role of NIPOST in the state.
He said NIPOST needed the support of the House with the provision of a law that would help in the discharge of its duties especially as it pertains to the licensing and registration of dispatch riders, issuance of identity cards, and tracking locations.
Adebayo who made the request when he visited the Speaker, Lagos State Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa in his office in Ikeja Lagos, also sought the partnership of the House in the area of training arrangements for despatched/delivery motorcyclists and the use of the Address Verification Solution (AVS),
The AVS is a tool NIPOST intends to use to tackle the issue of insecurity and crime in the dispatch industry.
Adewusi said he was proud to be associated with Lagos as a result of the successes recorded by the state, commended the Speaker and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for playing roles that have assisted the state with its growth and development.
Adewusi, however, lamented that internet technology had altered the operational efficiency of the postal services across the world, but added that this had not deterred his team at NIPOST.
“We have started the process of reform which is culminating in the unbundling of the Nigerian Postal Service to now have a Property Company, a Logistics and Transport Company, and a Microfinance Bank”.
“We have started this process and I believe that by the time I conclude my five-year tenure, we would have succeeded”, he said.
Obasa, in his response, promised that the House would collaborate with any organization that aims to assist the state with the ease of doing business.
“I want to assure you that Lagos is always ready to collaborate with any institution that is willing to work with us for the progress of the state. “This House of Assembly is ready to work with you. The House is always ready to support legislation and resolutions to enhance the ease of doing business in the state”, he said.
The Speaker expressed optimism that NIPOST will succeed especially with the recent amendment to law with the result being that the organization now has the opportunity of a public/private partnership (PPP) arrangement.
“I commend the Senate, particularly the chairman, Committee on Communications, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for a good job done in amending the NIPOST law,” while he urged NIPOST to take advantage of amendments to revolutionize the organization’s mode of operations.
Noting that Nigerians now device various means of getting goods and services to their targets including using commercial bus drivers, the Speaker said he looked forward to that period when people’s interests in NIPOST would be rekindled like it was in the past.