Twelve Courier Firms Lose Operating Licenses

Courier Regulatory Department (CRD) of the Nigerian Postal Service has revoked the operating license of 12 courier firms for their involvement in unethical conduct and non-renewal of their license.
After a crack down on some operators in Lagos, Senior Assistant Post Master-General and Head, CRD, Simon Emeje, listed the erring firms to include Ben Courier, City Messenger, Graylink, Panalpina, Prime Express, TS Investment, Tropex Worldwide, Zion Express, Candid Care Courier Ltd, Cenoux Express, Victory Delivery and Vilen Worldwide.
Emeje said the revocation forbids any of the affected companies from operating as a courier firm in Nigeria.
Describing their acts as an economic sabotage, he said illegal and unregistered firms usually bid and win 'juicy' contracts without a valid operating license thus denying government a huge chunk of revenue.
He said the exercise was aimed at encouraging prospective courier operators to follow due process in setting up their businesses, adding that any member of the public who engages in any transaction with the affected companies does so at their own risk.
 “The essence of this exercise is to create awareness among people to do what is right. It's not just to close any office or any company but to send a message to everybody that it is not right for you to run a business without adequate license. And when they hear that a company is closed today, it would send a signal and if there are some people who have been contemplating  going into that business, they'll now know what to do by coming to us and following the due process.
 “It is both to discipline those who have erred and to send a signal or awareness to other people who are prospecting to come into the business. All those affected had their license but because of their unethical practices and again, non-renewal of their license for about three years after all the avenues we've used to encourage them and to give them time have been exhausted, we had no other choice but to close them” he said.
Emeje added that the courier industry in the country, has only had about 20 per cent utilisation, noting that the potentials for investments are enormous.