By Ogaga Ariemu
In efforts to sanitize the courier, Logistics industry of illegality, Courier, Logistics Regulatory Department (CLRD) of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) has clamped down on offices, facilities of 6 unlicensed operators in Abuja to stymie insecurity.
Speaking before the exercise, Postmaster General/CEO NIPOST, Dr. Ismail Adewusi stressed the seriousness of the task in abating the increasing negative impact of illegal courier operators in Nigeria, while assuring the team of his unalloyed supports.
The PMG however charged the enforcement team to be civil in carrying out their responsibilities.
“Yes I am aware that this has started already in Lagos since last week, the GM CLRD has been briefing me regularly, we assured him of our supports. What you are doing is very good, we now have a very serious situation resulting from many illegal courier operators everywhere. This week Monday we wrote a letter to NDLEA for Courtesy visit to expand our cooperation.
“I think we are on course, all I will advice is that as much as possible I want you to be civil, don’t rough handle people unnecessarily,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chief Operating Officer, NIPOST, Mr. Yahaya Rufai reiterating the importance of the exercise said, “Once the Logistics industry is properly sanitized, other genuine operators will have a level playing ground to operate.
“Today everybody knows that the activities of illegal courier activities are impacting negatively on the society. When we talk about the illegality of courier operators, sometimes members of the club union do not seem to understand until such a time when the activities start impacting negatively on certain individuals and certain arms of the economy.
“It’s unfortunate that sometimes in this society, illegal operators will always try to win the sympathy of some people,” he expressed.
The enforcement team, comprising of the police and staff of CLRD, led by its Assistant General Manager in charge of Ethics, Complaints and Strategy, Mr. Banks Worimegbe and his team carried out an undercover investigation on illegal courier operations, other due diligent before embarking on the enforcement.
In his remarks during the exercise, Mr Worimegbe revealed that 6 courier operators have been earmarked for clampdown for operating without a courier operating licence, which he said, constitutes illegality.
According to him, there were several implications of operating without a licence, such as illegal operators are economic saboteurs to federal government, they constitute security risks, carriers of illegal substance, tendency to shortchange innocent customers, by receiving payments and parcels from customers for deliveries, without actually delivering the items, because they have no registered addresses through which they could be traced and tracked, as well as defrauding the federal government of their licensing fees, among others.
Skylight Global Tech, located at Suite 89 Dansarari Plaza Wuse Zone 4; Sultan Courier Services Limited, Block 6 Badagry street, Area 2; Krosborde Express Courier Logistics, Suite 111, Better Living Complex Wuse Zone 5; KJ Cargo and Logistics Services Limited, Suite 7 Sillazeka plaza utako and Poshex Logistics(A subsidiary of Sandrock Poshex Plus limited), Banex Wuse 2 Abuja are the apprehended unlicensed operators.
Some of the culprits claimed ignorance of the existing federal law that mandates courier operators to obtain licence before operation while others accepted their action as illegal.
Worimegbe said the CLRD had over the years and as it did a week ago in Lagos, sustained its sensitization of courier industry stakeholders on the need to obtain an operational licence, but that some of the operators are uninterested to legally register with the appropriate authority. Noting that ignorance is no longer an excuse for defaulters.
At Poshex, one of operator resisted CLRD exforcement team’s directives until additional Police squad came to the scene and she was arrested.
Another named Krosborde, has been operating a cross-border logistics services for over 2 years without any license from NIPOST.
A total of 4 unlicensed operators’ offices were sealed, Items such as dispatch motor-bike, log books, invoice/receipt booklets were confiscated from illegal operators and a management staff arrested, handed to Police.
NIPOST’s license categorisation are: International, National Regional, State/SME with vary licensing fees.