Mrs Ronke Litan, the Oyo State Postal Manager of Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) on Thursday in Ibadan said they have diversified into other services in order to generate more revenue.
Litan told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that such services they had diversified into included haulage and logistics.
“ We are into financial services too, while some of our offices are into the point of service (POS) business, where all that can be done inside the banking hall are being carried out,” she said.
The Postal Manager disclosed further that the Federal Government was doing a financial inclusion project through NIPOST.
“It has been able to disburse money to people at the local level through this.
“A lot of people in villages, whom the Federal Government wants to reach out to financially, are being paid through NIPOST,” she added.
Litan, however, said it was discomforting that a lot of people have the notion that NIPOST does not exist again.
“This is probably because of the invention of information communication technology (ICT) and the global system for mobile communications (GSM).
“But I want to correct this notion, that it’s not so.
“Internet though has helped in boosting our e-commerce in terms of internet-buying, ordering and delivering.
“A lot of people still use NIPOST to post or send items or goods bought to their customers,” she said.
The Oyo State Postal Manager added that delivery abroad now takes days and “one does not have to break the bank to send items”.
“An item going to the UK is expected to get there within five days, which is the standard quality of service delivery.
“Our charges are fair and comparatively low when you consider what other competitors are charging.
“A kilogramme of items varies from one country to another. One kilogramme to Canada N46,500, while to Australia is N52,300, and Algeria is N39,300,” she said.
NAN reports that in present-day digital age, postal services have been facing significant challenges in maintaining relevance and staying competitive in an industry that is rapidly evolving.
With the rise of e-commerce, changing consumer behavior and advances in technology, postal services must adapt to meet the demands of an increasingly digital world.
A NAN check of the NIPOST website, www.nipost.gov.ng, further confirms that the Service has diversified into other areas aside postal and regulatory services to generate revenue for government.
The website also showed that NIPOST has also gone into real estate consultancy/facility management services to the general public, such as estate agency, amongst other services.(NAN)
