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| Lagos |
FOR the
Nigerian courier business to become vibrant there is a need for government to
examine the implication of the draft ICT policy on the courier sector as well
as aid the speedy passage of the postal reform bill.
Speaking
ahead of sector’s yearly lecture scheduled for September
25 and organized by Bowill
Errands Limited in Lagos at the weekend, the President,
Association of Nigerian Courier Operators (ANCO) and Managing Director, Swift Couriers, Toyin Olufade, said Nigeria’s courier sector was still at its
infant stage, calling for government’s intervention in addressing the needs of
the sector.
Specifically,
one of the areas Olufade wants government to intervene is on policy making,
noting that the regulatory process needs to be strengthened as ‘courier service
has been an age-long trade.
”I think
members of the National Assembly need to understand the importance of the
Postal Service Commission Bill to the nation. If we have the bill come on
stream, then we can be able to arrest the problems associated with employment,
especially for the unskilled young people.
“The Bill
will address the injustice done in the postal sector after the severance of the
Post and telecommunications (P&T) by the government. Because
telecommunications is now under a commission; the growth it has witnessed
within the short period is so phenomenal and until we do the same thing for the
courier sector, the issues that affect the industry will linger. The Commission
is very important in the sense that it will institute professionalism, and will
position Nipost to occupy its rightful place”, he explained.
He,
therefore, urged government to strive to become a viable participant in the
global economy by improving the business climate it offers for the courier
sector especially as obtainable in other fast developing economies, adding that
it is only when the economy is buoyant that the courier industry thrives.
With efforts
directed at domestic courier services, Olufade said the association is working
towards enhancing the growth of indigenous firms in the country. ‘Our greatest
strength lies mostly in the delivery of bulk documents like company annual
reports, rights issue and prospectus for organisations desiring to raise funds
from the capital market. We give the same professional touch to other regular
mails and parcels throughout the country and the rest of the world; make
worldwide deliveries and pick-up of documents, packages and Cargo.
‘We have
expanded our operations beyond documents and parcel, to include a one-stop shop
logistics company (ground trucking and haulage),Olufade added.
On whether
the emergence and growth of the new and social media, as well as Information
Communication Technologies (ICTs) have not become a threat to the industry, he
noted that their emergence has aided courier business and enhanced increased
sectorial activity.
The
Managing Director, Bowill Errands, Siyanbola Oladapo, said the topics for presentation
include, “Implication of draft ICT policy on courier sector;, among others.”
The Guardian Nigeria
The Guardian Nigeria