The Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) has announced it will stop accepting cash payments across all its post offices nationwide starting July 1, 2025, in a move it says is part of a sweeping modernization effort aimed at restoring trust, enhancing transparency, and aligning with global best practices.
“All post offices nationwide will cease accepting cash. Customers will transact using approved electronic payment channels,” said Postmaster-General and CEO, Tola Odeyemi, during a media briefing on Tuesday. “This move enhances security, transparency, and aligns with global best practices.”
Odeyemi described the transition as a major milestone in NIPOST’s efforts to rebuild from years of inefficiency and public distrust.
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“We are not just rebranding. We are rebuilding,” she said, adding that the agency was strengthening its engagement channels to ensure Nigerians have a voice in its transformation.
She also disclosed that a new reward and recognition system is being introduced to encourage performance among staff, alongside strict disciplinary measures to deal with conduct that undermines institutional integrity.
The Other Rot: A Culture of Theft
While the cashless payment policy is being welcomed by some Nigerians as a way to curb rampant corruption and underhand dealings involving cash at post offices, many citizens say the core rot in the institution lies deeper, specifically, in the brazen theft of packages by NIPOST staff.
Across social media platforms, Nigerians have expressed doubt that removing cash alone would improve service quality at NIPOST. Numerous customers say that staff theft remains the major scourge damaging the institution’s reputation and stifling its growth.
“Received items from the states only to go to pick it up at the post-office and realize they had stolen everything in there, kept the pack inside the box and taped it back,” a user named Francis lamented on X last month.
For years, Nigerians have shared similar stories of receiving empty boxes, tampered parcels, and missing items, even when packages were tightly sealed. In most cases, victims say there is little to no accountability or redress from NIPOST.
“Hi @tola_odeyemi I want to bring to your notice the issue of theft happening under the organization you head,” a Nigerian posted last week. “My Items sent from UK to Nigeria was tampered, items stolen, left to be eaten by rodents. I don’t just understand.”
The stories have become so frequent that many Nigerians now avoid the agency altogether when sending or receiving important parcels, choosing instead to patronize private courier services despite higher charges.
The shift to cashless operations, which may help reduce petty bribery and diversion of payments, does little to address the more damaging issue of theft, critics say. While Odeyemi emphasized discipline and performance, she gave no direct assurance that the issue of stolen goods is being actively investigated or punished.
NIPOST, which operates under the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, has struggled to maintain relevance in Nigeria’s fast-growing digital and logistics space. Most of the market share in parcel delivery has been lost to nimble private courier operators, who not only deliver faster but also offer better tracking systems and security guarantees.
In 2023, Communications Minister Bosun Tijani called on Nigerians to suggest ways to reposition the agency. Some of the most popular suggestions included transforming NIPOST into a backbone infrastructure, like the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), for the logistics industry, supporting licensed courier companies in powering trade and e-commerce deliveries nationwide. Others suggested that NIPOST be deeply integrated with online shopping platforms to improve the delivery experience and credibility.
But these ideas, observers say, cannot materialize unless the trust deficit is addressed.
Stamp Duties Dispute Settled—for Now
Odeyemi also clarified NIPOST’s position in its long-running battle with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) over stamp duties. She confirmed that NIPOST is not authorized to collect stamp duties, ending a legal and bureaucratic standoff that caused confusion for years.
“Our role is to provide postage stamps, the legal instruments used to authenticate documents and denote duty payment. The responsibility for collecting stamp duties lies solely with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS),” she said.
The clarification brings to a close a dispute that once saw both agencies laying claim to the same revenue stream. It had led to overlapping mandates and institutional bad blood. Though the FIRS eventually retained the role, NIPOST’s previous insistence on collecting stamp duties was seen by some as a desperate attempt to stay financially viable in the face of declining relevance.
Public Skepticism Remains High
Despite the Postmaster-General’s optimistic tone and reform promises, Nigerians remain unconvinced that the institution can regain its credibility without addressing the thefts that have become synonymous with its brand.
With less than three months to the full rollout of the cashless system, stakeholders say the agency must confront the deeper cultural and operational failings that have driven customers away if it hopes to play a meaningful role in Nigeria’s logistics and e-commerce space.