The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has asked Nigerian Postal Service, NIPOST to halt its new courier and license charges.
The minister was reacting to an outrage by Nigerians especially on social media following an announcement that NIPOST had increased courier fees.
In a tweet on his official Twitter account on Saturday, the minister said that the increase was not part of the regulation he approved for the agency on Friday, July 24.
“Please NIPOST, our attention has been drawn to an increase of licence fee, which was not part of the regulation I earlier approved for you. Your chairman and Post Master General were yesterday contacted to put the implementation on hold and send a report to our ministry by Monday. Best wishes,” he wrote.
He then went on to clarify the regulatory powers of NIPOST. “The power of regulation of NIPOST lies with the Minister. Any change of fee must be specific and be approved by him before implementation.
“I know the economic challenges of NIPOST. However, looking at the economic hardship of our citizens, we need to suspend any move,” he added.
He said the increase was under investigation by his office since Friday.
According to NIPOST, companies which provide international courier services like DHL, UPS and FEDEX, are expected to pay N20 million for a new licence and 40 percent of the initial fee, which is N8 million annually while those who offer national, regional, state and municipal services are expected to pay N10m, N5m, N2m and N1m yearly as licence.
