NIPOST goes tough on illegal courier operators, shuts down

By Adedeji Fakorede

The Courier Regulatory Department (CRD) of NIPOST on Thursday shutdown operations at two courier companies, allegedly rendering services without licences in the country.‎
Dr Simon Emeje, senior assistant post-master-general of NIPOST and head of CRD, told newsmen in Lagos that the two illegal operators were closed in Lagos.
He said the two illegal operator are OJ Transports, located at Jibowu and Happy Family Motors, situated at Ojuelegba.
He said that the clampdown on them was a national assignment and essential for the sanity of the courier sub-sector.
According to him, the companies have not gone through the CRD’s licensing process, hence, their operation is detrimental to the sector.
Similarly, NIPOST revoked the operational licence of 10 courier companies.
Emeje, said that the operational licences were revoked for non-renewal.
According to senior assistant postmaster general, the courier companies had refused to renew their licences for up to a period of five years running.
He regretted that the CRD has been so magnanimous and given the companies a lot of grace period, because it wants indigenous courier company to grow, but they refused to heed to advice.‎
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He listed the companies whose licences were revoked to include, Candid Care, Delta Line Courier, Don Chris Integrated, Edo Courier and Impex Worldwide.
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Others are Izu Courier, KTA Freight Service, KSP Shipping and Logistics, Service Solutions and Speedmark Courier.
‎”The 10 courier operators hereby seize to operate courier business in the country because of their involvement in unethical practice, which the regulatory body frowns at.
”The general public should take note of this and desist from doing courier business with the listed companies in the country,” Emeje said.
On the clampdown, he said the action was justifiable because of the critical nature of the sector to the nation’s economy.
He said that the courier sub-sector also needed to be sanitised in the interest of investors.
Emeje said that the licensing fee for indigenous courier company was N2 million, while multinational licence was N10 million.
According to him, the sector is very viable, but only 20 per cent of the market has been tapped, while 80 per cent remained untapped.
”The asset worth of the industry is about N300 billion and there is need to protect and boost it.
”We are saying this to encourage investors both national and international to tap into the industry,” Emeje said.
CRD also urged the general public to beware of those they give their parcels for delivery
According to Emeje, customers, who still do business after the revocation order were doing it at their risks.
He added that the operators can be visited at any time by the surveillance team from the department, who will confiscate all items found in their offices.
The CRD Boss warned that if the courier companies continued to operate, the department would proceed to prosecute them.
According to him, renewal of licence fee is once a year and it costs N350, 000 to renew the licence of a domestic courier operator, N500, 000 for indigenous international operator and N1.5 million for an international operator.
”By law, a courier operator who refuses to renew his or her licence, is as good as operating without licence and this is tantamount to unethical practice, because they know the law but refuse to abide by it,” Emeje said.
He said that the companies lacked credibility in their operations, such as non-delivery of items and giving out their licences to other companies for courier services. ‎