NIPOST Revokes 12 Courier Licences, Seals Four Operators

Emma Okonji
The Courier Regulatory Department (CRD) of the Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) yesterday in Lagos, announced the revocation of 12 courier licences, for various offencses ranging from non-renewal of operational licences, to sundry unethical practices.
CRD also clamped down on four other courier companies operating in Lagos without licence.

The affected operators have over the years, engaged in unethical practices that have deprived government of huge revenue and they have also put the courier business as risk as they indulge in unethical practices.

Announcing the action of government shortly after the clampdown, the Assistant Postmaster General and Head of CRD, Dr. Simon Emeje, said the move to revoke the licences of the 12 operators and the sealing of offices of another four courier companies in Lagos became necessary in order to sanitise the courier industry of illegality that often affect genuine businesses in the courier industry.

The 12 operators whose licences were revoked, were hitherto operating courier business in different parts of the country. They include AM Express; AMC&C Express; Bems Courier; Danzas Express; ESPN Logistics; Fenway Courier and IAS Express. Others are Team United Express; Time Courier; Vitesse Courier; Wadoye Express and Worldwide Premier Logistics Solution.

The four courier operators whose offices were sealed in Lagos include BD Logistics, located on Point Road in Apapa; 12 Baskets Foods Limited, located in Sura Shopping Complex on Lagos Island; E-Top Nigeria Limited, located in Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi; and Nuli Juice Delivery, located in Obalende, Lagos.

Items such as motorcycles, weigh bills, and delivery invoice were seized from the operators as evidence to prove that they operate courier business in Nigeria, yet they do not have the licence to operate.

While advising all licensed courier operators to ensure proper branding of their motorcycles for their dispatch riders, Emeje also advised the general public to desist from doing business with the courier operators whose licences have been revoked, and whose offices have been sealed. He said the sealed offices would be reopened for business, after they must have regularised their operations.

“We used our surveillance team to detect unregistered courier operators and we go after them to track them because they constitute nuisance in the industry by indulging in sharp practices because they know full well that their customers cannot trace them when they are duped,” Emeje said. He added that most of the unregistered operators use fictitious addresses in order to escape easily after carrying out their dubious businesses.

Emeje also said most of the unregistered operators secure contracts to deliver items and end up not delivering the items after collecting huge amount of money from the customer to deliver the courier items.

He assured Nigerians and all licensed courier operators of the determination of the CRD team to sanitise the courier industry and make it more attractive to customers and investors.
At the point of revocation of the 12 licences, Nigeria had 290 registered courier operators, bringing the total number of licensed courier operator to 278 after the revocation.