The Courier Regulatory Department of the Nigerian Postal Service recently announced the revocation of the operating licences of 30 courier companies in the country. The General Manager of the CRD, Dr Ishaya Diwa, said the licences of the courier companies were revoked because the operators were not complying with the rules and regulations governing courier services.
According to Diwa, there are currently 108 healthy and financially stable courier companies in the country as opposed to the past when they were 300.
However, while it is good for the Courier Regulatory Department of NIPOST to ensure financial viability and stability of courier companies, it must be noted that most of the so-called big courier companies in the country have been ripping off their customers. Unfortunately, officials of the CRD of NIPOST have been silent on the misdeeds and unprofessional conduct of most courier companies.
They are not unaware that the big courier companies have been ripping open the in-coming packages of their customers. When such customers file complaints to the courier companies, such complaints are simply filed away. The social media is awash with many complaints by customers who sent packages to Nigeria through courier companies. Investigations have proven that such highly valuable documents were not stolen by the overseas office of the courtier companies or at the transit offices. The packages were actually ripped open and valuable documents stolen at the Nigerian office of the courier companies.
This calls to question claim of excellence in service, honesty, diligence and the very existence of the courier companies in the country. Courier companies in the advanced world are known to be honest and diligent. This is not so in Nigeria where most courier companies are outright thieves.
It is indeed, unkind, bad and unprofessional for courier companies to rip open packages meant for their customers under any guise, especially when the packages do not contain narcotic and other prohibited items. If the package contained prohibited items, the sender would have been apprehended at the dispatch point. So, the receiving point has no reason whatsoever to rip open its customer’s package.
It is also sad and a shame that most of the courier companies that are well trusted in other countries, especially in Europe and America, are manned by thieves clothed in Angelic garments in this country. They take franchises of efficient and well-managed overseas courier companies, then, they set up offices in Nigeria and go into operation. Their real game is to rip open packages sent to Nigerians through their courier companies and steal vital documents meant for their customers only to close it and label it as “Repackaged.” Who gave them the authority to repackage their customers’ packages? Time will tell.
When owners of the “repackaged” packages complain to the courier companies, such complaints are not looked into since those who ripped open the packages did it with the intention of stealing vital documents from the packages and with the permission of the powers that be in the courier companies.
If the owners of the packages report to the CRD of NIPOST, the cases are not treated with the urgency with which they deserve. At best, the complainant is made to repeat his call to the CRD until he is tired of calling at the CRD to hear the outcome of his petition .
In the advanced world, the courier company is made to pay reparation for the stolen document. This is after every suspected staff of the courier company has been well scrutinised. This is the global best practice. This is unlike in Nigeria where, if the complainant is lucky, rather than making the courier company to pay reparation for the stolen document, the courier company is made to apologise to the customer for his stolen document. But days are fast coming when aggrieved customers will no longer take apologies by courier companies.
In many cases, the last Bus Stop of complaints of customers of courier companies have been the media houses who, in their usual characteristics, will investigate the affair and sometimes publish their findings. Unfortunately, this does not guarantee that the complainant will get reparation from the Nigerian courier company.
As things are, it is the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that can properly handle the misdeeds of courier companies in the country to ensure that such courier companies are brought to book. I say this because cases of thefts of vital documents from packages sent through courier companies are now on the rise. It is putting the country’s name to shame and smearing the hitherto good image of both Nigeria and the big courier companies in the country. Something must be done to stop the ugly trend before it is too
late.
