By Ewache Ajefu/Editor
As officials of Postal Administrations of 193 member countries of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) meet in Doha, Qatar for the 25th Congress of the Union to take stock of their achievements in the past four years, the Postmaster General of the Federation, Mallam Ibrahim Mori Baba says Nigeria will continue to support African Postal Administrations as part of efforts to ensure the development and improvement of postal services in the continent.
Mori Baba who said that Nigeria is vigorously pursuing the integration of Postal Networks within the West African sub region for Quality of Service Improvement and Manpower Development on Technical Assistances basis also disclosed that the Nigerian Postal Service is sponsoring the training of 10 (Ten) officials of the Liberia Postal Service for a – one – week Postal Development Course at the Nigerian Postal Institute in Egor, near Benin City this October.
It would be recalled that Nigeria in February 2010 sponsored the training of about 60 Postal officials from seven (7) African countries on Terminal Dues introduced by the UPU for Inward Land Rates with the objective of ensuring that Postal Administrations in the continent do not lose vital revenue accruing from the new system which became operational in January 2010.
Since the launching of the West Africa Land Mail Route Network in 2007, Nigeria has been its major financier of the operation of the Network which facilitates mail transmission from Nigeria to Benin Republic through Togo to Ghana and exchanged at the Ghanaian border with Cote D’Ivoire for onward transmission to countries within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Nigeria is also providing accommodation for the Secretariat of the newly established West African Postal Operators Conference (WAPC), the body that will supervise postal services in the sub region which is to be based in Abuja, the Federal Capital City. Mallam Ibrahim Mori Baba described the recent election of Mr. Kola Aduloju of the International Operations Department of NIPOST as the Assistant Secretary General of the Pan African Postal Union as recognition of Nigeria’s contribution towards the improvement of postal services in Africa and a positive development for Nigeria.
On the 25th Congress of the Universal Postal Union taking place in Doha, Qatar, the Postmaster General said that Nigeria’s delegation to the Congress is led by the Honourable Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson.
He said that Nigeria is seeking election into the Postal Operations Council.
The Postal Operations Council is the UPU’s body that deals with technical and operational issues. It promotes the introduction of new postal products and makes recommendations to member countries concerning standards for technological, operational and other processes. The POC’s programme of work aims above all at helping postal services to modernize and upgrade their postal products.
