By Innocent Onoh
Dozens of dispatch riders have been apprehended and their motorbikes confiscated in parts of Lagos for operating illegally.
They were apprehended by a taskforce comprising staff of the Nigerian Postal Service, NIPOST and armed police personnel.
The exercise which was carried at some strategic locations in both the Mainland and Island of Lagos, began at Maryland bus-stop,where the enforcement team intercepted a number of illegal operators, enough to fill their truck in less than two hours.
Most of those intercepted were in possession of vehicle licences issued by Lagos State ministries, agencies and departments, but none from NIPOST which represents Federal Government and the regulatory agency by extant law.
While some were also arrested for operating with expired documents, others were nabbed for overloading their motorbikes and not having brand name.
One of the affected operators said Government was not being fair to them by subjecting them to many registrations, amidst the harsh economic times.
Thereafter, the department held a session with the affected illegal Courier operators at the board room of NIPOST, CLRD, Lafiaji-Obalende Lagos, to enlighten them on why their bikes were seized and also let them know the categories of licenses and the need to obtain one.
Commending the taskforce for job well done, the General Manager, Courier and Logistics Regulatory Department of NIPOST, CLRD Mr. Dotun Shonde advised those doing the business illegally to register with the service for their licences to avoid facing persistent clampdown from the authorities.
Shonde who decried the activities of illegal operators, vowed that the department would stop at nothing in ensuring that the right operational standards are maintained.
According to him, bringing professionalism in the industry is timely to block leakages, increase ethical values and establish professional practices, in addition to flushing out some elements that hide under the business to perpetrate criminal activities, thereby worsening insecurity.
“We want to be sure that each person employed is adequately trained and empowered. That is going to go a long way in solving the security threat we have”, he said.
Shonde noted that acting in line with Federal Government’s initiative of encouraging the flourishing of small and medium scale enterprises, the department has done alot to support practitioners in the courier and Logistics industry , including granting them a flexible registration payment plan.
“Before now, we had only two categories of registration-International and National.
” Most of them cannot afford that. Now we have broken it down and the least of them is the SME to accommodate the Nigerian youths”.
Mr. Shonde submitted that the service was well repositioned to achieve maximum success in it’s current effort at sanitising the nation’s Courier and Logistics industry by ensuring that only trained, certified and registered professionals operate in the ecosystem.
He noted that acting in line with Federal Government’s initiative of encouraging the flourishing of small and medium scale enterprises, the department has done alot to support practitioners in the courier and Logistics industry , including granting them a flexible registration payment plan.
He also said that the service in partnership with Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, introduced a training programme towards ensuring that the operators are professionally competent in handling customers and the items to be delivered.
After embarking on Public education and awareness creation via electronic and print media ,as well as social media, the CLRD of NIPOST kicked off clampdown on illegal and unlicensed dispatch riders and delivery drivers across Lagos, with a promise to progress to other states of the federation with time.
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