To Be Or Not To Be:The Postmaster General of Nigeria

By Taiye Olaniyi

Postal Service the world over has its unique and peculiar systemic structure as such, the peculiar administrative mechanisms.

Postal Service, Postal System and The Post all connote an enriching organizational service of The Post to bring together global humanity under the umbrella of abridging peoples in geographic space and time through an array of postal packets and financial services.

Every Nation or Sovereignty of the world that makes the 192 member nations of the Universal Postal Union, U.P.U carries that postal taxonomy called, Postal Administration. The Nigerian Postal Administration of which the Nigerian Postal Service is the only agency of the Nigerian Government charged with the statutory roles to represent Nigeria in that perspective.

The head of the Nation's Post carries the authority of his or her government to represent and promote the interest of such a nation as much as possible but in line with the best global postal requirements. Thus, the power, authority and knowledge displayed by such a personage like the Postmaster General of Nigeria amidst the comity of other nations that form the UPU and other restricted unions would make or mar the image of such a nation.

Before the split of the defunct Department of Post and Telecommunication, P&T, the head of the Postal arm of the P&T was referred to as the Director of Post, the last of such was I think, Mr Ewedemi.

At the inception of the Nigerian Postal Service, NIPOST on the 1st of January 1985, the late Mr Thomas. N Ike became the first Postmaster General of the Nigerian Post. A postal operation officer proper who trained and rose through the ranks of the Post had to prove his worth having attained the herculean task of making The Post a worthwhile agency of government.

With the advent of the Nigerian Postal Service came the diversification of a mixed grill of different calibres of people from diverse backgrounds now coming to be players at making the postal service gain weight and momentum as a national infrastructure.

Though with serious attributes of organizational politics and politicking as to who should be the next Postmaster General after the tenure of ageing T.N Ike, the man from the Nigerian External Telecommunication, N.E.T who in NIPOST was the Deputy Postmaster General, Administration late Mr Nathaniel Zome later became The Postmaster General of the Federation as the office was referred to.

He exhibited great Spartan spirit, wriggling in both organizational and ministry politics not only to ensure that"Mails must Move" but also helping to endear the Nigerian Postal Service to the heart of the government of the day. Appreciable progress was made in terms of mail movement, the diversification of the Post's economic base, training and international recognition. During Zome's era with the cooperation of some postal operation staff, the statutory roles of the Post were enhanced though pebbles of jealousy in terms of the popularity of NIPOST in the government circle beyond what a few Ministry officials could accommodate became obvious because under them was the supervision of NIPOST no matter how connected Zome and his team. Amongst other reasons not revealed, Abubakar Rimi later retired abruptly, Nathaniel Zome and a couple of his team from service.

Mr. Joshua Bamigbele who acted as the Acting Postmaster General and a core postal operation staff was also later retired without reaching the peak of his career as the Postmaster General of the Federation.

It was in this political quagmire that then Honorable Minister Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju confirmed Engineer Taiwo Babafemi Olukolu a former Deputy Postmaster General Engineering and Technical Services as the Postmaster General/ CEO of the Nigerian Postal Service.

It was during Olukolu's time as the Postmaster General that the Nigerian Postal Service moved to Abuja and a series of postal projects which due to paucity of funds and which earlier on could not be put in place and new ones were initiated and commissioned. Despite the usual organizational politics still in vogue amongst staff and allied intruders, Engineer Taiwo Babafemi Olukolu completed his one-term tenure typical of previous PMGs and had the opportunity to recommend to the then President and Commander in Chief Olusegun Obasanjo his replacement which came handy for late Abubakar Musa Argungu as the new PMG/CEO of the Nigerian Postal Service. He was formerly the Deputy Postmaster General of Finance and Investment.

While in acting capacity as Acting Postmaster General of the Nigerian Postal Service, Abubakar Musa Argungu during any interaction with staff, was always claiming, "I am in a hurry, I encourage you all to join this coach of progressive movement so that together we build on the good work of my predecessors."

I need not highlight here his numerous achievements that brought NIPOST to the limelight not only in Nigeria but same in the international arena. He was indeed in a hurry, he hurriedly achieved for the Nigeria Post, Nigeria, Government that made him a guest speaker at a very high level amongst top government functionaries during the Obasanjo administration.

At the UPU, Pan African Postal Union and the West African sub-regional levels, Abubakar Musa Argungu OON was a man of honour even at his death date.

Argungu never tolerated the antics of a couple of members of the legislators either when invited to the National Assembly, when legislators were on oversight function to NIPOST nor the ever wanting to eat and lick soup through contracts awarded by the board members under the leadership of one Chief Nwanganga. Mr Olaniyi, "Where would they want me to get the funds for their demands?" he used to ask.

Ibrahim Mori Baba succeeded the late Argungu whose Deputy Postmaster General he was. He inherited both the good and bad of previous administrations principally borne out of the government policy thrust of zero allocation to the organization. The growing escalation in the costs of the movements of mail within and outside the country, the lack of funds to pay airlines and their resultant refusal to airlift mail, parcels including goods permitted to pass through the Post. The Stamp Duties which was a budding revenue generation drive by NIPOST and authorized private agencies was being competed for by higher authorities and agencies of government. The unpaid pensions to those abruptly retired from The Post by the government as a result of the purported prompt payment by the Bureau of Public Service Reform resulted in over six thousand staff of NIPOST that were disengaged.

Postal formations were being locked by the retired staff while nothing less than 250 of such staff experienced evictions, strokes and allied illnesses including not less than a hundred that eventually died out of that number. It was through the efforts of Ibrahim Mori Baba and his management, the Post's unions and other sister unions that the final intervention of the National Assembly results in the payment of over 1.7 billion naira owed to the disengaged staff by the government.

Nipost with its national infrastructure spread and with properties spread all over the country depends only on internally generated revenue which most times was not enough to maintain the post offices, hence might not be expected to live up to public expectations. Baba's humility and diplomacy with staff saw him through two terms as the Postmaster General of the Federation despite the herculean task of succeeding in public service as we have made it to be in Nigeria.

He was the last PMG that partially rose through the rank and file. Shortly before he left, the struggle for his position began from within and from the politics and power-inclined politicians in and outside the Ministry of Communication Technology under Adebayo Shittu. Stamp Duties revenue witnessed a downturn, staff became also political to such an extent they were disqualified from being considered for the enviable post of the PMG, the peak of their careers.

I had the fortune or misfortune of witnessing the inception of a politician and non-carrier staff as the PMG of NIPOST. I thought had about two weeks left to complete my 35 years in service at the time he came. He was considered maybe a messiah, a younger person and complete outsider that could bring a wealth of experience to us in NIPOST like Dr. Mrs Omobola Johnson. But, as Benjamin Franklin aptly stated, "They that cannot be counselled cannot be helped." He was removed not quite over a year after he assumed office. Another one came and had the same fate, the third being shown the way out and allegedly back to base and the fourth within five years in a sector in which fate, fortune and misfortune carry international implications.

An Agency of the Nigerian Government which rather than being fortified is bemoaned by having three different boards at the same time for even two subsidiaries that are yet to take off.

Whatever the case and no matter who was or is not made the Postmaster General of the Federation for the Nigerian Postal Service, let it be mentioned loud and clear to the power(s) that be that: "When conscienceless power rules over powerless conscience, it is the former that first laughs but the latter laughs last and laughs best."

God bless Nigeria.

Taiye Olaniyi.

Retired Postman.