…As NCP shops for agency’s commercialisation transaction adviser
The seating of the management of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo last Friday where some decisions critical to the privatisation process of some moribund parastatals including NIPOST has shown that efforts of the Minister of Communications, Barr Adebayo Shittu to revive the fortune of the agency have failed.
Already, the NCP which supervises the work of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), is at the verge of appointing a transaction advisers for the commercialisation of the Nigeria Postal Services.
Before now, the Minister had assured Nigerians that he is working on a strategic drive to convert the ailing agency to a government digital banking services provider considering the reach of the outlets across the nation.
Nothing again was heard on the idea. Some analysts said serving as a bank would have fast-tracked the financial inclusion campaign of the government as the bank would have served as the only bank with the highest number of branches in the country.
Pundits say the collapse of the Minister’s idea just like others of his plans that failed to see the light of the day including the ICT University, are an indication of weak development ideas in the ministry.
Business Hilights gathered that a number of potential advisory services consultants had been shortlisted and the Council would take a decision on the company that would eventually get the job of advising the government on the process of commercialising the public utility corporation.
Trouble of service delivery for NIPOST started since the advent of GSM revolution which pushed up use of sms and even phone calls to relegate letter writing to the lowest traffic ever.
Industry analysts said what has happened to the relevance of NIPOST is technology disruption in action.
