NIPOST Earns N1.4bn Revenue in Six Months
Handled 33 million mails
Tayo Ajakaye
The Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) earned a total of N1.471 billion in the first six months of this year. Of this amount, the post office boxes generated N311.6 million, bulk post, N150 million, Speedpost N263 million, and international mail service, N87.1 million.
Briefing newsmen on the half-year activities of the organization in Ikeja on Monday, the Post Master General of the federation, Alhaji Abubakar Musa Argungu, said the revenue recorded in the half-year compare favourably with the figure for the same time last year.
Half year 2003, NIPOST generated N1.149 Billion. The performance shows an increase of N323 Million.
Argungu also disclosed that during the period under review, NIPOST handled a total of 33, 949 pieces of mail items. These include items posted and delivered within Nigeria, those posted abroad and those received from outside Nigeria for delivery within Nigeria.
NIPOST which had not received money for capital expenditure from government since 2001 committed N198 million to the completion and renovation of post offices across the country in the period.
Of the N341 million required for personnel cost this year, only fifty percent had been received from government.
NIPOST was also forced to increase its tariff early this year because according to Argungu, it cost the organization N197 to deliver a letter in Nigeria although postage was N20. He stated that NIPOST asked government to allow it increase postage to N70 but government would not agree, hence the N50 tariff.
On the advertised target of delivering national mail within 72 hours since the introduction of the National Mail Route Network in June 2000, Argungu said that in 2001, the organization achieved 75 percent success; in 2002, 80 percent success and in 2003, 82.5 percent success. On the new mandate by government that delivery of national mail be crashed to 48 hours, an outcome of the success of the earlier mandate, the PMG said management is presently working out the modalities for achieving that mandate.
Argungu stated that the postcode system introduced by the organization in November 2000 has achieved so much success with 30,000 printed copies of the second edition of the postcode sold out.
He also disclosed that NETPOST, joint venture company of NIPOST, ABG and DVI Incorporated has started offering cash transfer services through the Western Union Money Transfer. The service has already taken off in some locations in Lagos like Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Marina, Festac, Ikeja Shomolu and Surulere. Plans are underway to start the service in Ibadan, Abuja and Benin.
On the clamour for the establishment of an independent courier regulatory body, the PMG said NIPOST had no objection and would infact be happy to see the establishment of such an agency. In the time being though he said, �we would continue to regulate courier in this country until another law comes up because if we don�t now, then nobody will. The NIPOST Act provides that it regulate the activities of courier companies in the country.�
Argungu admitted that failure to provide post office boxes keys to owners of such boxes has become an embarrassment to NIPOST.
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