Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, says President Bola Tinubu’s government is considering the introduction of the franchise system into Nigerian Postal Service, NIPOST, in order to revive it.
Tijani laid this bare in his presentation at this year’s edition of The Platform, an Independence Day Anniversary event organised in Lagos by Pastor Poju Oyemade’s The Covenant Nation.
The Minister asserted that NIPOST is key to the country to the point that it may make or mar the ability of several sectors to contribute to the nation’s economy and Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Products.
In that light, the minister said the federal government is committed to maximise its potential and so mulling the idea of franchising it out.
“The reality is that we can’t have a vibrant economy if people cannot move goods. If a farmer in Funtua cannot grow fresh vegetables and get them to Pastor Poju in Lagos, who is conscious of his health and wants to eat clean, then we have a problem. That farmer is not going to be able to add to our GDP, Pastor Poju is not going to get the service that he requires. So, the GDP number won’t be where we want it to be.
“So, NIPOST has a critical role to play in connecting all of us. So, we are trying as much as possible to re-imagine what NIPOST is all about, perhaps turn it into a franchise where a young businessman can own a NIPOST location, not own outright, but the government can franchise it out to you and you’ll run that location.
“That location will not only serve for delivery purposes, it’ll also become a location where you can go and sign up for your passport if you want to. You can go there to open a bank account. You can go there to also transact all sorts of businesses. It becomes a business centre, really, for you. That’s also something we are reimagining,” he said.
