Dele Olagoke, managing director of Gokeson Courier Services, has called on the government to help the courier sector grow by making things work for the citizenry.
He complained that courier companies and other businesses groan under a lot of foundational problems that do not dispose to making profits for the investor.
Olagoke pointed out that transportation is the backbone of the postal business but says that the road network in Nigeria is very poor and as such one finds it very difficult to interconnect.
Emphasizing that speed is the hallmark of the courier service, Olagoke said that the poor network of the roads and the present nature of the few kilometer roads we have are most of the times dotted with pot- holes and that such negates the spirit of the courier service, which is fast and prompt delivery of goods and services.
Now that a lot of people are going into logistics which in a simple language he said means transportation, Olagoke lamented the absence of rail transport system in the country which would have reduced the pressure from the motor roads.
In the area of technology, he urged government to improve our technology saying that the way we use our technology here is not the same way it is being used abroad. He said "Over there every thing works. There is availability of information and all the information you need is in the system. Even with your phone number alone, you are giving out a lot of information about yourself."
Olagoke said that information and communication technology makes things easier and that it has helped courier companies a lot as it has reduced cost of operation for them. He said that before the arrival of ICT that it was difficult communicating with his partners abroad as they were required to make telephone calls then or send fax messages but now internet has made for easy and effective communication.
However, even with this development, he still believes that not a lot of people have access to the internet and even at that the internet connections are not working very well. He said that people are supposed to use the internet to track their consignments or mails as clients are usually given the tracking number for them to monitor the movements of their goods from where ever they may be, but the level of our technology has made such service the exclusive preserve of few people who could afford the cost.
Further, Olagoke said power is a major challenge for most Nigerians. Even in the area of Information and Communication Technology, he emphasized that without power nothing can be achieved. Failure in the energy sector, he said has affected all the other sectors of the economy and he calls on the government to address the perennial energy problem once and for all.
