News
Postal Reform Bill Rings Hope, Fear
The postal sector at the weekend greeted federal government’s approval of a reform bill that will strip Nigeria Postal Service (Nipost) of all its regulatory functions with mixed reviews as operators voiced fears at one end and hopes at another, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek can report.
The Bill is an all important document that will give legal backing to the operations of the post as a whole and institute a regulatory framework for the postal sector by setting up an independent regulator for the industry.
Mrs Omobola Johnson, minister of Communications Technology told journalists after the council meeting presided over by Namadi Sambo, Vice President that the key factor in the bill is that Nipostt should concentrate on its operational functions in the transformation agenda and help to contribute to the gross domestic product
The approval of the reform has ended many years of dilly-dallying over the Postal Bill expected to fast track the development of the postal industry in Nigeria.
Mr. Toyin Olufade, president, Association of Nigerian Courier Operators of Nigeria (ANCO) described announcement as “historic”
“We are happy the Minister is working towards the establishment of the Commission. It has become an executive bill and not individually sponsored. We have cried for such Commission owing to the existing wide gap between the operators and the Government. We expect the Commission to play a mediating role. So, we are happy that it is happening now,” he said.
While welcoming the bill, Akinyele Oladipo president, Nigerian International Air Courier Association (NIACA) lamented the inability of the government to seek inputs from the industry players.
“It is a welcome development. We have been clamouring for the Regulatory Body for more than five years now. Actually, we do not know the content of the Bill. NIACA has gone to the National Assembly, Nipost and everywhere we think we can get information on the content of the bill, but to no avail.
“You cannot shave a man’s head in his absence. We fear it may be an old win in a new bottle. For instance, Nipost just increased our subscription fees. The economy is not encouraging business growth; unless they want kill all indigenous companies, because the foreign operators are not feeling the heat like us. We wear the shoe and know where it pinches, they ought to have consulted us,” Oladipo said.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek recalled that intrigues and administrative bottlenecks conspired in the past to delay the passage of the Nigeria Postal Service Bill.
The draft policy was brought out since 2005 and had moved back and forth the National Assembly and the presidency until the intervention of the present minister of Communications Technology.
Olufade believes that with the minister’s intervention that the intrigues and administrative bottlenecks that have hobbled sector would be laid to rest.
“If such Commission has been there, we would not have been passing through difficulties, particularly in Lagos State where the Traffic Law is forcing businesses to short down.
Presently, businesses in the courier and postal sector are crumbling, because the 200Cc capacity engine motorcycles are not there. Perhaps, the Commission would have reached a compromise with the State Government to enable us do business” Olufade added.
Dr. Peter Mgbege, a reform expert said that creating a competitive environment would make the postal sector viable.
“What the minister is doing now is to create a workable regulatory paradigm that will provide efficient, transparent and accountable system of control for the postal market” Mgbege stated.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek gathered that the e bid to reform the postal sector started in 2004 with the engagement of Nethpost Consultancy of Netherlands to conduct feasibility analysis and provide restructuring options for Nipost and the postal sector.
This came as a result of agitations by private courier operators at the second Nigeria Courier Summit in 2004 impressing on the federal government to give the industry an independent regulatory body even as they went ahead to demand that the Courier Regulatory Department (CRD) of Nipost having done so well should be transformed to become a commission that would regulate the postal sector.
The Courier Regulatory Department (CRD), an arm of the federal government owned Nipost has been regulating the industry for years now but stakeholders argue that it smacks of injustice for a department of Nipost, also a player in the industry to be regulated by its offspring among other competitors thereby stoking the fire for an independent regulatory umpire for the sector.
Accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) adoption could increase Africa’s GDP by up to 4% over the next decade, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In a report released on Tuesday, titled Africa Can Grow Faster With AI—If It Moves Now, economists from the IMF’s Africa Department say current levels of AI adoption and utilisation are expected to contribute just 0.2% to the region’s GDP over the next 10 years.
However, the report says stronger adoption, supported by the right infrastructure and policies, could raise the economic impact to about 4% by extending AI beyond today’s digitally connected firms.
Martin Schindler and other IMF economists say: “AI adoption in sub-Saharan Africa currently lags well behind every other region. If richer economies race ahead while African firms and governments lag, the productivity gap between the region and the rest of the world will only widen.”
Early signs of AI adoption are emerging across Africa, with countries including Zimbabwe, Kenya, Egypt and Nigeria developing AI strategies.
Telecommunications operators, including Vodacom, Econet, Africell and MTN, are also integrating AI into their operations and networks.
Other examples include chatbots supporting teaching and learning in Nigeria and the South African Revenue Service’s use of data analytics for targeted tax audits.
However, the IMF says AI adoption must extend beyond these early use cases to deliver meaningful economic benefits.
“For the region, AI’s main promise is not about replacing office workers, but boosting productivity across the economy—helping informal firms manage inventory, enabling farmers to increase yields, and supporting mid-sized firms to transition to formality and export readiness,” the report reads.
The IMF is urging governments to prioritise investment in reliable electricity, affordable broadband, data infrastructure and digital skills to support wider AI adoption.
Many African countries, including Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon, continue to face electricity shortages, while broadband services remain costly and coverage is uneven.
The Fund believes stronger investment in power, connectivity, regional data infrastructure and digital skills would help unlock AI’s economic potential.
National Population Commission (NPC) has commenced the nationwide digital registration of births and deaths under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system to strengthen legal identity management and improve demographic data.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lokoja on Tuesday, Mr Afolabi Yori, federal commissioner representing Kogi, said the initiative became operational nationwide on July 1, through the VitalReg platform.
Yori described the development as a landmark in Nigeria’s civil registration system, noting that it would modernise birth and death registration through a technology-driven platform that meets international standards.
He said the digital platform would improve service delivery, strengthen data integrity and ensure that every birth and death occurring in Nigeria was accurately documented and securely stored.
According to him, civil registration is more than an administrative process, as it provides reliable statistics that support public policy formulation, resource allocation and national development planning.
“Nigeria records an estimated five million births annually, yet millions of births and deaths remain unregistered.
“Birth registration coverage currently stands at about 57 per cent nationwide, while death registration remains below 20 per cent,” he said.
The commissioner said that the commission had established 4,011 functional registration centres across the country’s 774 local government areas and was working to expand the number to about 8,000.
He added that the commission was strengthening collaboration with stakeholders to improve the capacity of registration personnel and ensure prompt documentation of vital events through the VitalReg platform.
Yori said the platform would provide faster registration services, 24-hour online access, digital certificate issuance where applicable, and reduce paperwork, waiting time and unnecessary travel.
He disclosed that the platform was being operated under a Public-Private Partnership with Barnks-forte Technologies Ltd. as the commission’s technical partner to ensure system availability, cybersecurity and continuous technological improvement.
He called on parents, healthcare institutions, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, development partners and the media to support the initiative by encouraging the prompt registration of births and deaths.
Earlier, Samuel Omonakpeme, director in Kogi, NPC State, described the commencement of the digital registration system as another milestone in efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system.
Omonakpeme stated that the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 16.9, which seeks to provide legal identity for all.
He appreciated the Federal Government, the leadership of the commission, UNICEF and other development partners for supporting the implementation of the initiative.
The state director also urged parents, guardians, health institutions, community leaders, religious organisations and the media to mobilise public support for the timely registration of all births and deaths.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that ICT personnel of the commission, led by Ehimoni Kolawole, conducted a live demonstration of the digital birth registration process using the VitalReg platform.
The demonstration showed that the registration process captures the biodata of both parents, while at least one parent must possess a valid National Identification Number (NIN) to complete the registration of a newborn.
Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) has alerted its customers to a fraudulent message circulating on social media, falsely claiming that electricity consumers can receive an additional 20 per cent bonus units when recharging their prepaid meters through unofficial channels.
In a statement issued by the company’s management on Monday, YEDC described the claim as false and urged customers to disregard the misleading information, stressing that it did not originate from the company.
According to the statement, YEDC does not offer bonus electricity units through individuals, agents, personal bank accounts, phone numbers, or social media contacts.
The company advised customers to purchase electricity tokens only through approved cashless payment platforms, including the YEDC Pay App, OPay, Interswitch, and other authorised vending channels, or to visit the nearest YEDC office for assistance.
YEDC also cautioned customers against sharing their meter details or personal information, or making payments to unauthorised persons claiming to represent the company.
The company further urged customers to rely exclusively on information disseminated through its official communication channels to avoid falling victim to fraud.
The management thanked customers for their continued cooperation and reaffirmed its commitment to serving them.
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