The Head of Nigeria’s Courier Regulatory Department (CRD) an independent arm of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Prof. Simon Emeje, has insisted that the Nigerian courier industry is worth over a trillion naira, but expressed his dissatisfaction that the full potential of the sector was yet to be tapped, while blaming the federal government for the situation.
Emeje, who spoke to THISDAY in a recent interview in Lagos, called on all tiers of government to support the courier sector, which he said was capable of boosting the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), if given the right enabling environment.
Emeje, also said government had not given much attention to the courier industry, even though it is an industry that has assets worth over N1 trillion.
“An industry that has such huge assets, should have government’s recognition. Out of the N1 trillion worth of assets, only about 20 per cent of the combined market of Courier, Logistics, Transport and Management is currently being utilised across Nigeria. Again, the professionals in these combined areas of courier business are very few in number. We have less than 10 per cent of experts that can actually embark on capacity building and proper training that will set the economy in a good shape,” he said.
Emeje who recently retired from the services of NIPOST to assume the position of Chairman of Council, Courier and Logistics Management Institute (CLMI) in Nigeria, said: “Government should give prominence to CLMI and collaborate with us to create opportunities for its citizens. With collaboration, government can create more jobs and empower more Nigerians to take a career in Courier, Logistics, Transport and Management.
For example, CLMI is a training institute, targeting the training about one million people in two years. We believe more in practical training, which is embedded in our curriculum. Graduates from CLMI will be able to produce more people that can start up their own businesses and also employ people.
“So if we are able to produce one million entrepreneurs, and each of the one million is able to employ up to three persons, that will mean creating three million jobs, and there will be multiplier effect for more job creation.”
He therefore advised government to leverage on the opportunities that abound in courier business by supporting the sector in the area of creating enabling environment that will make courier business thrive more.
“If this is achieved, then it would go a long way in addressing the challenges of our country Nigeria in the areas of job creation and business sustainability,” Emeje said.
