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LCCI Says New Postal Bill will Jeopardize Investments in Courier Industry
Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has described the provisions of the Nigerian Postal Services Bill 2021 as an impediment to sustainable investment in the courier industry.
The Nigerian Postal Bill, currently before the National Assembly is receiving a lot of opposition from LCCI as the institution warned that the Nigerian Postal Services Bill 2021 as passed by the Senate is replete with provisions that would be detrimental to private sector investments in the courier industry.
A statement signed by Mr. Muda Yusuf, director general of the Chamber of Commerce, expressed reservation about the bill, saying that it was inimical to private sector investments in the courier business.
It noted that the passage of the bill in its current form would put over 100,000 jobs in the courier sector at risk and jeopardise over N300 billion investments in courier services business.
The statement also said the bill would worsen the country’s ease of doing business ratings, which is currently unenviably low for a country like Nigeria still grappling with enormous perception problems by investors.
‘It is a negation of the ease of doing business agenda of the Federal Government and not in consonance with the fundamental principles of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan,” the statement read in part.
Yusuf regretted the fact that the bill had been passed and was awaiting concurrence by the House of Representatives.
He seized the opportunity to appeal that the progression of the bill be halted and the hurtful provisions be removed in a reworked bill.
He said, ‘The LCCI is worried, in particular, about the following provisions in the bill; imposition of an annual levy of 2.5 per cent of the turnover of courier companies to be paid to the proposed Postal Services Commission; powers conferred on the proposed PSC to fix rates for courier services; monopoly privilege conferred on the Nigerian Postal Service for delivery of items weighing 1kg and below.
According to him, all the provisions are not consistent with the commitment of the National Assembly to private sector development which was affirmed by the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, at the inauguration of the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable in March 2016.
Also speaking, Mrs. Toki Mabogunje, president of the LCCI, during the Chamber’s, “Address on the State of the Economy,” said the chamber’s concerns about the bill included the requirement in Section 68 (2) (b) that licensed private courier operators should contribute two per cent of their annual turnover to the Universal Postal Service fund.
She said: “We have taken a critical look at the bill and we are seriously concerned about several provisions of the bill. The bill as passed by the Nigerian Senate is replete with provisions that are detrimental to private sector investment in the courier industry.
“This provision is most unfair to courier companies, many of which are struggling to survive. Turnover would include companies’ debts (some of which the courier companies may not be able to collect).
“Besides, these companies currently pay numerous taxes, which include Company Income Tax, VAT and levies by various states of the federation, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and airport charges, throughput charges by the FAAN pension funds and the NSITF, the NHF, local government charges, signage fees of various states, etc.).
“The industry is currently beset with a variety of taxes at national and sub-national levels.”
Mabogunje also expressed the LCCI’s discomfort with the exclusive powers granted to the Public Postal Operator (PPO) in Section 10 (1) (a), (b), (h), (j) and (r) of the bill for “collecting, accepting, processing, conveying and delivering postal articles weighing up to one kilogramme and delivering postal articles with the tariff of less than five times the rate of postage applicable to the particular weight class.”
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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