Local operators of National Mail Route Delivery Services (NMRDS) have appealed to the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) to indemnify their members to the tune of over N200million in respect of services rendered.
Spokesperson for the operators, Senator Usman Liman demanded that their invoices in the past eight months be paid by NIPOST for mail delivery services in the country before a Chinese company, Speedaf Logistics Nigeria Limited, could be engaged.
He also questioned the propriety of the engagement of the Chinese company in mail delivery segment at the expense of indigenous companies, even after NIPOST had reneged in paying the local operators since May 2021.
Liman described the action as a betrayal of confidence and a contravention of the local content policy of the federal government.
He said the action could worsen the state of unemployment in the country as the operators were facing difficulty in paying their workers.
He also alleged that NIPOST has also been deducting taxes from the indigenous operators in the past five years, without remitting to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) as demanded by law.
He therefore appealed to relevant authorities in the country to investigate the issue to avoid pushing more Nigerians into poverty.
The anger of the operators was triggered by the action last week by Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Pantami, who launched 27 Courier Service vehicles, to enable NIPOST and its partner, Speedaf Express, compete favourably in the industry.