Afolabi Olatunji: Taking TNT To The Top
Afolabi Olatunji is the chairman of TNT Worldwide, a courier firm established in Nigeria in 1988 for the main purpose of delivering mails in Nigeria for its parent company, TNT International.
In 1988, TNT International was dissatisfied with the level of its then local affiliate in Nigeria which was basically a one-man show. It worked out a merger with Choice Courier which concentrated in the domestic market. The name TNT was retained, as TNT not only had an international thrust but is one of the three leading courier firms in the world.
Today, the 10-year-old TNT Nigeria, has carved a niche for itself in the quality of its service in the local and international markets. It keeps working to improve its services in line with the high standards of its international affiliates. Olatunji has pursued this objective zealously. TNT Express Worldwide is the biggest courier firm in Europe and the Middle East. It is currently developing their American market.
In Nigeria the company has been quoted on the Lagos Stock Exchange. It is a wholly indigenous company. It is the official courier firm to the Lagos Stock Exchange, Security and Exchange Commission and a good number of Nigeria's quoted companies.
TNT Nigeria lays emphasis on security in its service to ensure safe delivery of parcels. It has in-built complex anti-fraud devices. The company lays premium on consistent training and retraining of its staff to enable the staff attain optimum productivity. The company has a master plan aimed at taking it to the very top of the industry. The plan involves restructuring its operations. The company has gone to the capital market to raise fund to improve its communication network, look up to the internet and build its new head office at the international airport road, Lagos. The company intends to open three area offices in Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Kano in order to decentralise and streamline operations.
Olatunji was born in Ilesha where he had an exciting upbringing in an average family. He attended Balkan and Tooting College, London, and had his professional training as a chartered accountant in London. He is a fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountant, associate member, Institute of Bankers and member of both Institute of Management Consultants and Nigerian Institute of Management.
A management consultant, Olatunji has over 20 years experience in public and private practice. He supports the privatisation of NITEL and NEPA but believes the problem will be with the implementation especially in determining their work and undertaking the exercise with the right spirit.
He sees a bright future for the courier business in Nigeria as the country is developing and industrialising. He advises young people to keep working hard, persist and persevere in whatever they are doing, pray to God and pay less attention to what they receive in return for services if they want to succeed. He cautions against day dreaming.
Newswatch June 29, 1998
" Newswatch 1998