Minister urges NASS on speedy passage of NIPOST Reform Bill

The Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu has urged the National Assembly to ensure speedy passage of the Bill for the Reforms of Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST).

Shittu made the call in a statement issued on Tuesday in Lagos by his Special Assistant, Media, Mr Victor Oluwadamilare.

The statement was issued on the recently held public presentation of two documents – “Restructuring and Modernising Nigerian Postal Service’’ and “NIPOST Vision 2020’’ – as well as inauguration of a Steering Committee for NIPOST Reformation.

The minister said that the passage of the bill would stimulate private investments in the sector and the development of the postal service into a commercially viable entrepreneurial conglomerate.

“We will appreciate that the bill is considered expeditiously because of its importance to the socio-economic policy thrust of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration.

“The bill seeks the amendment of all the existing postal services laws to give effect to the recommendations of the NethPost Consultancy of The Netherlands.

“It also seeks to effect the recommendations by all other interest groups that worked with the Ministry, NIPOST and other stakeholders in the postal service reform,” he said.

The minister said that the government is committed to reforming NIPOST to make the agency “socially relevant, economically viable and internationally acceptable”.

He said the reform plan will establish “a low cost universal postal service and provide a safe and efficient operations that keep pace with developments in the rest of the world’’.

“The reform will create a convenient means of funds transfer system for the entire country through the postal network.

“It will unbundle NIPOST to profit-driven subsidiaries such as, NIPOST Digital Financial Services Ltd. and NIPOST Property & Development Company Ltd,’’ he said.

Also in the statement, the minister inaugurated Steering Committee to lay the foundation for the reformation process.

The committee chaired by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Sonny Echono has the Post Master General, Mr Bisi Adegbuyi as vice-chairman while the Special Adviser to the Minister on Digital Resources, Mr Akeem Yusuf is the Secretary.