The Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Hon. Isaac Kekemeke, has issued a strong warning to the agency, insisting that it must undergo urgent reforms to remain relevant or risk being privatised. He made this known during a high-level meeting with the agency’s top management, general managers, and state postal managers held in Abuja.
Kekemeke expressed deep concern over the prolonged underperformance of NIPOST, stating that the organisation has, for years, struggled to meet the expectations of Nigerians. He stressed that unless there is a dramatic shift in operations and service delivery, the future of NIPOST as a government entity would be in jeopardy.
“NIPOST must deliver or be privatised,” he declared bluntly. “This is the reality we are facing. If we fail to make NIPOST functional and effective, myself, the Postmaster General, and many of you may be out of jobs. We cannot continue to disappoint the Nigerian people. It is time to change the narrative, restore public trust, and rebrand this agency to meet modern-day standards.”
The board chairman emphasised the need for NIPOST to become technologically competitive, especially in the rapidly evolving logistics and e-commerce space. According to him, repositioning NIPOST will not only improve service delivery but also boost public confidence in the organisation’s capacity to meet the growing demands of the digital age.
In her response, the Postmaster General of the Federation, Ms. Tola Odeyemi, acknowledged the challenges facing NIPOST but assured stakeholders that management is actively implementing reforms. She noted that the appointment of the current board leadership has already brought significant momentum to the transformation efforts.
Odeyemi highlighted recent strides in building a unified postal management system, digitising logistics operations, and repositioning NIPOST as a viable last-mile delivery partner within the e-commerce sector. She pointed out that a growing number of businesses and individuals are beginning to rely on NIPOST for distribution needs, an indication that the agency is slowly regaining relevance.
As NIPOST works to redefine its identity in a competitive digital landscape, the message from the leadership is clear: reform is no longer optional, but essential for survival.
