Communications Sector Roadmap, e-government Master Plan Ready for Implementation – Minister

Adebayo Shittu, Minister of Communications says the Communications sector roadmap and the e-government master plan are ready for implementation.

Adebayo made this known when he paid a visit to the headquarters of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) late Monday in Abuja.

The minister, who was represented by Sunny Echono, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry said that the ministry was poised to commence the implementation of the documents.

According to him, the documents will guide the interventions of the communications sector in the next three years.

“Copies of the draft will soon be sent to your management staff so that you can come up with strategies that will ensure that we move the sector forward very quickly. This is to let you know that these policies of which you were contributors are ready for implementation and you are expected to participate actively. Other policies that the ministry wanted to bring to the attention of the agency are the Postal Bill which was before the National all Assembly and the National Addressing Policy,” he said.

Shittu said that one of the issues that the bill would help to resolve was the multiple roles that NIPOST played as a regulator, an active operator and a revenue generator.

“The transformation of the postal service should be something that all staff should embrace career wise and it is also good for the country’s image and will give more impetus to it services. It will make you a central and vocal element in the governance of our country.

All issues related to ICT services, financial inclusion, logistics, delivery of goods and services, digital economy and e-governance are all hinged on this platform. With your postal offices across the country, you will be one of the prime movers of the implementation,” he said.

He said that the ministry hoped that the national assembly would quickly pass the postal bill so that it would position NIPOST to adequately carry out its mandate.

He said that plans to constitute an implementation committee that would be chaired by the Vice-president Professor Yemi Osinbajo was on ground.

On the national addressing policy, Shittu said that six states were ready to come on board and expressed optimism that other states would follow suit.

Speaking on the ICT road map, he said that the ministry was partnering with a technology company and also counting on the collaboration of all agencies in the ministry to work together.

He added that NIPOST as a critical agency would be given the draft when it was ready and top management would be expected to fashion out and identify programmes that would help to drive the implementation as it affects the agency.

He assured the staff of the plan to increase the salaries, saying that he understood that the agency was the least paid among all the agencies in its purview.

He however encouraged the staff to look into other ways of generating more revenue by consciously increasing their productivity.

Earlier in his welcome address, Acting Postmaster-General of NIPOST, Richard Balami said that the generality of the staff were fully prepared to key into the policy thrust of the government that would enhance an effective postal service to the citizenry.

“We are particularly mindful of current trends worldwide as regards the value of ICT to construct change and wheel of progress to postal activities. We are aware of the need for the Nigerian Post to not only adopt and adapt but also to initiate some moves that will put Nigeria in the limelight,” he said.

Balami, however, appealed to the minister to make pronouncement publicly that the stamp duties as it was being operated by NIPOST postal agents were legitimate.