NMRDS drags NIPOST to Pantami over N200m debt

Aggrieved operators of the National Mail Route Delivery Service (NMRDS) have urged the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Pantami, to take drastic action over the failure of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) to redeem the liability to their members in the last eight months or face legal tussle.

The seven-day ultimatum that was issued by the Counsel to the NMRDS, Mr. Wole Abidakun bothered on the failure of NIPOST to pay the N200 million owed the operators.

Abidakun said the tax deductions effected on the operators’ account for the past five years by NIPOST have not been remitted to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), which he fumed have hindered the operators from accessing their tax clearance over the years.

He added that this anomaly has also made it difficult for his clients to survive in addition to restricting them from bidding for jobs in other organisations.

The petition was also sent to the Post Master General of NIPOST, Dr. Ismail Adebayo Adewusi.

“Ordinarily, our clients would have proceeded to explore other legal options available to them, but to show goodwill, our clients demand a meeting with you within seven days of your receipt of this letter to sort out issues amicably and maintain the cordial relationship that exist between your organisation and our clients.

“Where you fail, refuse and/or neglect to meet with our clients, within the time herein stated, then we have our clients’ further instructions to explore legal remedies available to them,” he wrote in the petition.

Recently, the Spokesman of the NMRDS, Senator Usman Liman, decried the decision of NIPOST to engage Speedaf Logistics, a Chinese company in mail delivery services, at the expense of indigenous companies, even after it had failed to pay the operators for services rendered in the last eight months. (THISDAY)