NIPOST seeks customs support for improved operations

Bukola Afeni

The Postmaster General of the Federation Dr Ismail Adewusi said  NIPOST will reinforce collaboration between Nigeria custom service by boosting postal service operation across the country.

He made the disclosure during a  working visit to the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service(NCS), Col Hammed Ali (Rtd), at the command Headquarters in Abuja

The Postmaster  General said the agency will continue to reinvent itself despite the challenges it is facing.

“We believe that coming here is also to reinforce relationship, to enforce partnership between the  two sister organizations. We will continue to reinvent our  activities to stay afloat.”

“Nigerian Postal Service is the designated public postal operator representing Nigeria among the comity of 192-member nations of the Universal Postal Union (UPU).”“So, anytime anything is coming to Nigeria, it first of all arive at our International Mail Processing Centre (IMPC) in Lagos. That means that we play a very critical role as the gateway to all mails and the rest of them coming from outside Nigeria. We have taken that role very seriously.”

Adewusi said NIPOST over the years had seized many weapons and drugs in the past which he said some people attempted to smuggle into the country using the post.

“Each time this happens, we pass all of these to the security agencies, the Customs, NDLEA and other security agencies that are also residence within our premises.”

He said there had been a longstanding committee of NIPOST and Customs, which he said was no longer in place. He urged the Customs boss to resuscitate the committee.

PMG also discussed the issuance of seizure notice whenever Customs officials seize items or goods from people and Address Verification solution which is a technology-based solution for tracking addresses of people.

While responding the Controller General of NIPOST, Col Hameed  Ali  said there have been a symbiotic relationship between the Nigeria Custom Service and NIPOST in delivering  adequate service delivery.

He said there was no reason the two agencies should not support each other, while pledging NCS support for NIPOST.

Col Hameed attended to every request made by NIPOST boss and directed his officials to ensure implementation.

” Customs should take advantage of the Address Verification Application by NIPOST to support its operations, which according to him,  “would help Customs to track its clients”.