Digitalising NIPOST operations is key to quality services – Postmaster General

The Post Master General of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) says the digitalisation of the Agency’s operations is the key to quality services that will, in turn, boost the country’s digital economic drive.

Dr Ismail Adebayo Adewusi, stated this while giving his welcome address at the Management Board Retreat of the organisation held in Ibadan, Oyo state South West, Nigeria.

He disclosed that NIPOST has made significant efforts to shore up its relevance by introducing a number of products and services into the economic template of Nigeria, adding that they have made notable advancement in leveraging on Information Communication Technology (ICT).

Dr Adewusi who emphasised that NIPOST has made technology the driving force of its operations said that the rapid changes and development in the ecosystem coupled with recent devasting effects of the COVID -19 pandemic, made it more compelling to converge and assess operations and the resultant challenges.

“Aside from enhancing our operations, automating our systems would check leakages of revenue. I am glad to announce that the process of full automation of all our Post Offices is progressing speedily.

“The new normal has changed how business is conducted. NIPOST in this regard is strategically partnering and collaborating with organisations and government agencies, to maintain its edge as a one-stop-shop to meet the aspirations of our teeming customers.”

 “Equally, globalisation and the development of e-commerce have greatly transformed the postal sector. E-commerce is dynamic and rapidly changing the postal sector. There has been sharp growth both in domestic and international small packets. While I urge a critically look into this area, let me also admonish us all, especially our mail handlers, to begin to see e-commerce as a priority and treat items with all seriousness,” PostMaster General said.

According to him, Postal Administrations globally including that of NIPOST now offer logistic services because it is a solution for customers requiring better merchandise delivery service within the countries and outside, using physical postal service infrastructure and resources.

He said NIPOST’s involvement in the provision of financial services to advance financial inclusion in the marginalised areas, have yielded significant results in the area of integrating rural dwellers in financial inclusion programmes of the Federal Government such as the National Cash Transfer.

He further explained that to drive the implementation of the Finance Act 2020 in the area of Stamp authentication, the Department of Stamp Authentication Compliance was created, expressing the hope that stakeholders will work tirelessly in various jurisdictions, to ensure that revenue is well harnessed for the betterment of the organisation and the country in general.

Dr Adewusi however pointed out that the effective implementation of all NIPOST’s innovative strategies would, to a large extent, require the dedication and commitment of all stakeholders reiterating that “the success of all these and other innovative products and services we may be planning depends largely on our quality of service. Serious measures have been taken to ensure the provision of quality service, in line with global best practice”

He also commended the staff of NIPOST “May I remind us that every staff is critical in determining the success or otherwise of this great organisation. We must all rise up from here with a great determination to embrace ethical values that make organisations around the world successful; the ethos of discipline, positive thinking, eschewing rumour mongering, strong team spirit, and being open and objective.

“To achieve this objective, prompt evacuation of all inbound and outbound mails at our International Mail Processing Centre at Ikeja, increase in the frequency of mail movement and provision of new generating set at IMPC to ensure uninterrupted mail operation has been ensured,”  he concluded.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of NIPOST Governing Board, Barrister Maimuna Yaya Abubakar emphasised that the most important issue that should not be ignored is that of employee welfare and motivation, adding that employees are not the most valuable asset but only motivated employees are.

“What is most important is not a strategic plan but who will implement that plan and whether they are motivated enough to want to implement it to them later. Simply put, we will be wasting time here developing a first-class strategic plan if we don’t have the right workforce to ensure it is well implemented.

“We can only ignore these issues at great peril to NIPOST and we have to fix them now if we hope to realize NIPOST’s anticipated future of greatness. It is about the urgency of ‘now. If we don’t do it, then who will? If we don’t do it now, then when?” She stated

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy,  Festus Daudu, who also represented the Minister of Communications, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim, while declaring the retreat open emphasised the need for staff training and welfare, adding that NIPOST needs to work towards financial independence and improve on its revenue drive.