NIPOST To Issue Passport And Driver’s Licence

Abuja – The Minister of Communications, Mr Abdur-
Raheem Shittu, said the Federal Government
planned to turn the Nigerian Postal Service
(NIPOST) into a mega conglomerate offering
various services.

This is contained in a statement by the Head,
Public Communications, Bureau of Public
Enterprises (BPE) in Abuja on Tuesday.

It reported that the minister said this while receiving
the Acting Director-General of BPE, Mr Vincent
Akpotaire , who was on a courtesy call.

“NIPOST would be offering services in e-Commerce,
e-Learning/Library services and issuance of the
Nigerian passport and driver’s licence plus other
security documents,’’ the minister said.

Shittu said that the government was poised to
constitute a technical committee to proffer solutions
to the issues militating against the postal sector.
The group would also present a policy direction to
harness the economic potentials of NIPOST.

The minister acknowledged the significance of
reforms to the communication sector and the key
role of BPE in sector reforms, saying that the
bureau would be included in the committee.

He expressed optimism that an all inclusive
participation of all stakeholders would steer NIPOST
towards harnessing its commercial potentials.

Shittu urged the bureau to carry out research on the
Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd
(NIGCOMSAT) and come out with the best options
to either commercialise or privatise the company.
“This is based on revelations that it is under
patronised and has only one signal.“

Responding, the DG of BPE, acknowledged the yet
untapped potentials of NIPOST.

Akpotaire said that NIPOST, though in near
disappearance, had sufficient assets to generate
economic and commercial services.

According to him, in view of the Central Bank of
Nigeria’s National Financial Inclusion Strategy,
NIPOST could begin skeletal services within the
scope of the resources set aside by the CBN.

He noted that through the vast postal network
available to NIPOST, it was equipped to deliver
financial services to remote areas currently excluded
by financial institutions.

To facilitate the process, Akpotaire said that the
Bureau would present a comprehensive proposal to
the minister within a week.

The DG said that the BPE would liaise with the
National Assembly to harmonise the bureau’s
proposed reforms with the privately sponsored bill
on the postal sector before it.

He called for an independent regulator for the sector
to update services and ensure transparency as well
as position NIPOST to compete favourably with
other concerns in the sector.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/05/fg-turn-
nipost-conglomerate/