The Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) has affirmed that it shut down the operations of at least five ‘unauthorized’ courier and logistics firms in Edo State over the weekend.
NIPOST General Manager, Courier, Logistic and Regulatory Department, Shonde Gideon, while addressing newsmen, stated that the companies were shut down due to their operation without proper registration and licensing.
Gideon informed the press that the agency additionally confiscated eight motorcycles used for courier and logistics deliveries during the crackdown.
He emphasized that NIPOST undertook this initiative to cleanse the postal market environment, as it is crucial to eliminate unqualified and unprofessional operators.
“The industry has been infiltrated by many unlicensed and illegal operators who engage in all kinds of nefarious and unethical activities,” Gideon said.
He emphasized that operating in a regulated space without proper registration and licensing constitutes an offense against Edo State.
He further mentioned that the recent crackdown adheres to the legal stipulations outlined in Section 43(1)(2) and (3) of the NIPOST ACT, Cap127, LFN 2004, and the Regulatory Operational Guide 2023.
“The exercise is to sanitize the postal market and ensure that any private investors into postal, courier, and logistic business obtain a license from the Federal Government (FG),” Gideon pointed out.”
“So, if you must operate in line with the provision of the NIPOST Act, you must obtain a grant of license from the POSTMASTER General/CEO of the federation.”
He added, “This operation will create a conducive environment for all players in the sector to have a level-play field and ensure that people comply with the law of the land. it is not about revenue but sanity,”