News
Weak Regulations, Others Hobble Courier Sector
The weak regulatory framework and rapid growth of the courier industry has given rise to bourgeoning illegal operators, leaving in their wake tales of losses and frustration.
Illegal courier companies are those that are not duly registered and are believed to outnumber the registered ones.
To practice courier business legitimately, an applicant is expected to fulfill certain conditions including the payment of one hundred million naira registration and licensing fee to the NIPOST.
But instead of paying this sum and fulfilling other conditions, some people decide to cut corners and operate illegally.
To make matters worse, Courier Regulatory Department (CRD), the policeman of the industry is not sufficiently empowered to pursue the prosecution of illegal operators.
This is simply because the CRD, an arm of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), derives its powers from military decree 41 of 1992 now cap 127 of the Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004, which experts say is grossly inadequate for the exigencies of the courier industry.
At last count, the activities of unlicensed operators drain the country’s purse to the tune of N20 billion per annum, according to experts.
Illegal courier operators are also accused of aiding the ever increasing trend in the smuggling of small arms and light weapons, exposing the dangerous complexity of the illicit trade of the tools of violence in parts of the country.
The scale of activities of the unregistered courier operators underscores the extremely lucrative nature of the illegitimate trade and the need for tighter regulation and protection of the industry.
Unlawful and as dangerous, their activities have led to price undercutting, reduced the confidence in courier operations, increased incidence of mail dumping, touting among other activities.
Investigations showed that the quack operators do not have any fixed address, thereby making it almost impossible to track them down.
The courier sector in Nigeria is one with great potentials, which if properly harnessed is capable of generating millions of jobs and contributing immensely to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
To make it contribute to the GDP and reach its potentials, government must quickly set up an independent regulatory authority for the industry.
The independent regulatory authority will help accelerate the pace of the growth of this sector, so that the sector can contribute to national development through job creation and tax revenue.
News
Substandard CNG Cylinder is Recipe for Disaster- SON
Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has warned the public against the use of substandard and uncertified Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) cylinders.
The warning is coming in the wake of the unfortunate recent incident of CNG cylinder explosion at the NIPCO CNG Refueling Station in Benin City, Edo State.
In a statement, the organisation said it has put robust and effective regulatory measures in place to ensure that all CNG equipment and conversion kits conform to approved standards before being certified for public use.
“The conformity assessment schemes are designed to prevent the import, manufacturing, and use of substandard products,” it stated.
In addition, SON said it is collaborating with the Presidential Initiatives on CNG and other relevant government bodies to finalise the Nigerian Gas Vehicle Monitoring System (NGVMS) – a platform that will provide centralized monitoring and surveillance of CNG systems to ensure that only vehicles equipped with certified conversion kits can access gas at retail outlets.
“The NGVMS will also offer a database of approved CNG equipment and suppliers which will go a long way in preventing the substandard installations and further mitigating the associated risks.”
News
Access Bank Wins Best Digital, Best Website at 2024 Digital Jurist Awards
Access Bank PLC has been named the 2024 Best Digital Award Winner in the Commercial Banks Category at the Digital Jurist Awards, organized by Phillips Consulting (pcl.).
In addition to this top honour, the Bank also secured the Best Website Award, achieving an impressive score of 201 points for its engaging and user-friendly digital experience. Access Bank’s cumulative score of 380 points reflects its excellence across digital touchpoints, including its website, web portal, mobile app, and social media.
Commenting on the recognition, Amaechi Okobi, Chief Communications Officer of Access Holdings PLC, said, “We are honoured to receive the Best Digital and Best Website Awards at this year’s Digital Jurist Awards. At Access, our focus on digital innovation is driven by our commitment to deliver seamless, secure, and customer-centric solutions across all touchpoints.
This recognition validates our ongoing efforts to enhance our digital platforms, making financial services more accessible and efficient for our customers. We thank Phillips Consulting for recognising our efforts and will continue to raise the bar in digital excellence.”
Phillips Consulting has long served as a development partner to Nigerian financial institutions and other organisations with an online presence. Leveraging its proprietary Digital Jurist platform, the firm has conducted assessments of digital touchpoints in various sectors, from financial services and insurance to telecommunications and government agencies, over the past 17 years.
Originally established as Web Jurist®, the platform was reimagined as Digital Jurist to assess new and diversified digital channels in the evolving digital economy. Digital Jurist’s evaluation framework examines a range of factors, including user experience, accessibility, performance, functionality, security, customer service, support, marketing, and content engagement across digital platforms.
These awards reinforce Access Bank’s leadership in digital banking, adding to recent accolades including 2024 Best Digital Bank and Best Mobile Banking App by World Finance, Best Mobile Banking App and Best Digital Bank by The Digital Banker Awards, and Best Digital Banking Initiative at the Global Retail Banking Innovation Awards 2024.
News
Foreign Secretary Lammy Unveils Flagship UK-Nigeria Soft Power Campaign
Rt Hon David Lammy MP, has launched a flagship soft power campaign ‘Jollof and Tea’, which celebrates the UK and Nigeria’s cultural and creative ties.
He unveiled the campaign at a reception yesterday in Lagos, on his first visit to Africa as UK Foreign Secretary.
Hosted by the British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Mr Jonny Baxter, the reception was attended by, the Nigerian Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism & Creative Economy, Hon. Musawa Hannatu, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Richard Montgomery, CEO of British Film Institute (BFI), Ben Roberts, and other key figures in the creative industry.
At the launch, the UK Foreign Secretary unveiled a first of its kind phone booth, designed by Frederick ‘Dricky’ Stickman, a young, talented Nigerian graffiti and visual artist, based in Lagos.
He reiterated the UK’s commitment to encouraging talent in Nigeria and diaspora, pledging the UK’s support to strengthen partnerships in the creatives sector to benefit both our economies, including through the British Council which celebrated its 80th anniversary in Nigeria (and 90 years globally) this year.
Commenting on the campaign, the British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Mr. Jonny Baxter said: “The ‘Jollof and Tea’ campaign is designed to showcase the length and breadth of the UK – Nigeria partnership including the creative and cultural sectors.
“It will help raise awareness about the existing connections between the UK and Nigeria and take forward ongoing efforts by both our countries to strengthen our people-to-people links.”
While in Lagos, the Foreign Secretary attended the closing evening of Art X West Africa’s leading art fair and took a tour of the exhibition alongside Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, founder of Art X.
He also had a mini- bilateral meeting with Hon. Minister Hannatu, to understand Nigeria’s ideas for collaboration with the UK, and how the recently launched UK-Nigeria Enhanced Trade & Investment Partnership (ETIP) can help drive growth in the creative industries.
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