Nigeria Poster Services (NIPOST) has warned internal and external saboteur to desist from their activities or be prepared to “eat rat poison”.

The chairman spoke yesterday at the opening of a retreat/workshop for the Managing staff of NIPOST at Stratton Hotel, Asokoro, Abuja.

He said NIPOST fortunes nosedived as a result of the activities of mail rats and other saboteurs, and vowed that they would be given rat poison if they failed to desist from their activities.

Isaacs Kekemeke lamented that because of the activities of saboteurs and mail rats within the system, NIPOST has failed over the years to contribute to socio-economic development of Nigeria as expected by all and sundry.

Sounding the warning, Kekemeke lamented that reputation issues, inefficiency and other factors are responsible for the current situation in NIPOST, insisting that change for a better turnaround as envisaged by President Bola Tinubu must come to the organisation.

He regretted that NIPOST is currently in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) despite its huge potential and vast opportunities to contribute to a greater Nigeria.

Kekemeke said after his appointment by Mr. President, he undertook some checks/research on NIPOST and discovered that the organisation is facing huge challenges that have inhibited its growth and development over the years.

“In all, it became apparent that the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) is a challenged organisation. Many Nigerians, albeit agreeing on the huge potential of NIPOST as a national heritage and significant national infrastructure, expressed displeasure and disappointment with its performance. Most young men and women could not relate to or with NIPOST”, Kekemeke lamented.

He said the workshop was aimed at unveiling the vision of the board to the management and to jaw-jaw on meaningful ways to address challenges facing the organisation.

According to Kekemeke, urgent reforms would take place within NIPOST to enable it become globally competitive and stand alongside other players like Royal Mail, Swiss Mail and Deutche Postal Service among others.

The Postmaster General and CEO of NIPOST, Mrs. Tola Odeyemi, praised the appointment of Kekemeke by the President, saying the Chairman had the capacity, experience and leverage to change the narratives of NIPOST for the better.

Odeyemi said NIPOST has taken strategic steps to improve its diverse services to enable it contribute to national development and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.

She said NIPOST Express Mail Service (EMS) has increased by over 400 per cent, while NIPOST in conjunction with the Universal Postal Union (UPU) have commenced initiatives to regain volumes of services lost to e-commerce giants across the globe and in Africa.

Odeyemi outlined such services lost to designated operators like NIPOST as customs clearing, warehousing, and reverse logistics services, saying NIPOST is now on the verge of launching and delivering the services within the next couple of days.