Nigerian philately get national news coverage

Translated from SébPhilatélie, an article written Monday March 7th 2016.

Between 2002 and 2007 some French philatelists enjoyed themselves because the President of the Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy, was a stamp collector... We end up with a sad Marianne in a poor frock of the time of crisis chosen without any popular consultation, states general of philately... generous with the guests... that end with a wallpaper stamp program whose "philatelic" part is forced to be bear a Greek letter...

Worse, Sarkozy became the historian of Africa during a speech in a university in Dakar, July 26th 2007 when he said, among reductive points of view of the continents and its peoples:

The African man has not enough entered in History.

While in Africa, banking and services through mobile phones are rising, shipping companies are modernising ports and harbours, countries like Rwanda went from genocidal putsh régime to a democracy opened to its neighbours and the Commonwealth...

And in Abuja, while not being a philatelist, a former President eventually helps the pastime.

The Chairman of the National Philatelic Promotion Council described one of the British issues of Nigeria who served overprinted in the Trust Territories of Cameroons ; he insisted on the multiple identities of this colonial stamp and of the history of both countries (NTA News, 3 March 2016).

In Abuja, Nigeria's federal capitale, a philatelic congress took place, reported the national news channel Nta on Thursday March 3rd. The main topic was how philately and postal services were assets to the economy of this emerging country despite many developing problems, internal politics and djihadist danger with Boko Haram.

Between conferences, initiation to stamp history (with a painting of Rowland Hill) and a stamp exhibition, former chief of state Olesegun Obasanjo came to support the passion of collectors, highlighted the importance of stamp to teach the history of the country and praise the work of the National Philatelic Promotion Council since its creation in 1992.

Chairman Ahmadu Ali (left) listening attentively President Obasanjo speaking about the role of stamps (NTA News, 3 March 2016).

And, with the improvised speach of the non amateur, Mr Obasanjo succeeded what one waits from a leader in a non partisan matter:

"Stamps tell story.

Every stamp has something unique about it.

It has story to tell.

And when you put them together, you get history.

And when you look at your collection of stamps,

you get history out of them."

And he finished holding the philatelist's shoulder: what better support could you hope from the former President of your country!

One of the stamps described by Ahmadu Ali: 1953 stamp of Nigeria overprinted 1960 for the British Cameroons during their months of self-determination (scan from commons.wikimedia.org).

And the reporter immediately illustrated this poem by showing the Promotion Council Chairman, Ahmadu Ali - celebrating his 80th birthday. He explained the design of one of the U.K.T.T. overprinted colonial stamp of Nigeria, that served in the British Cameroons between the independence of the French Cameroon in 1960 and their union with the latter in 1961.

And he concluded on this complex history with the sparkling eyes who learnt and taught something from his collection.


By browsing a little bit Google, the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) discretly but surely promotes and performs its services with efficiency, and constitues a national philatelic center, both by smartly managing a philatelic program and by encouraging a National Philatelic Promotion Council that served as a national federation at the International Federation of Philately in 2004.

Nigeria follows the advices of the Universal Postal Union and its World Association for the Development of Philately. In 2011, the Nigerian Philatelic Service (who's got its own website) asked for a report on the policy to follow, the rule of a stamp program, etc.

The journalist explaining the postal reform by Rowland Hill and its revolutionary effect on the British economy (NTA News, 3 March 2016).

In all this document and the Abuja event, accent is discretly put on the economic value of the postage stamp in an emerging economy. By its use of course, especially with the development of packet mailing and shipping. But the value of its collection and study too.

It can be watch in the NTA report and in this February 2nd 2009 article of Nigeria Communication Week, probably inspired by the efforts of the Pomotion Council. And journalist Emeka Okafor wrote it well for this readership: there is an ancient philatelic trade in Nigeria, a national agency to print the new issues, therefore there is business to do for suppliers.

And for the emerging upper and middle classes, a patrimony to create through pleasure of collecting, studying and exhibiting. New technologies are not the only way of enjoying a social status.

That's what the journalist explained in front of the portrait of Rowland Hill when he told the economic impact of the 1840 postal reform in Britain: contrary to what we felt sometimes in Western countries, the post and the stamp haven't say their last words in emerging countries.


Back to France: After Joëlle Amalfitano, deputy director of the French philatelic service in October , Gauthier Toulemonde, editor-in-chief of one of the two main monthly, in January and February, when will the former president-useless-philatelist of the Republic go to national media to promote philately and stamp collecting?

That would compensate a little bit the disastrous consequences of the states general of philately, and if he met Ahmadu Ali, perhaps he could apologize for the Dakar speech.

Week #2016.10 on SébPhilatélie

I got quite philatelic fun this week writing on both blogs.

Sunday March 6th: unusual rate drops and demonetisation.

From philatelic forums and Google searches, I learnt that strange things will happen in three countries in their postal system, inimaginable in France or many countries.

By a special agreement between the Unites States Postal Service and the Postal Regulation Commission, the former will be forced to cut down the first class rates on April 10th... Whereas the financial situation of the public company is not safe yet. Talks began on how the public will react that Forever stamps' value is going to shrink a little.

In Sweden, there soon will be one year that the European Court of Justice declared unlawful that PostNord in Sweden add value added tax on public postal services.

In Lithuania, Lietuvos paštas reminds in the press that stamps only valued in litas, the former currency before the euro became the national currency on January 1st 2015, will cease to be valid by the end of the year 2016.

Monday March 7th: Nigeria slowly ascending the philatelic world.

A lucky find on youTube from the Nigeria's news television channel, NTA News: early March, the National Philatelic Promotion Council, established 1992, successfully organised an exhibition and conference in Abuja.

Former Nigerian President (right) praising the study of stamps and honoring Ahmadu Ali, current chairman of the National Philatelic Promotion Council, who celebrated his 80th birthday (NTA News, March 3rd 2016).

A must-see video from NTA and a must-read article on my blog: how does stamp passionates in emerging countries succeed to make the public aware of stamps, stamp collecting, philatelic studies and competitions? Surely a translation in English will be coming here soon.

Wednesday March 9th: PostNL will double the Postcrossing stamp catalogue by March 29th!

The Postcrossing official blog announced on Wednesday that the historic postal operator of the Netherlands will issue a ten stamp minisheet, kitsch-like, promoting the postcard exchange website and touristic place and arts of the low country.

Look at them if you don't fear to loose eyesight (PostNL through the Postcrossing blog).

The Postcrossing stamp catalogue will be added stamps #13 to 22 in one issue, the second one on this topic by PostNL.

On a side note, I discovered that Dutch stamps are only available though a special philatelic website of PostNL - and not the postal site of the operator, and at street level in news/library franchise.

Week #2016.01 on SébPhilatélie

On the French side of the blog.

Mount Dhaulagiri on a Golden Jubilee stamp for its first ascent by Europeans. Clever the postcard producer printed a "airmail" label on the upper right corner.

Monday January 4th: Himalaya stamp on former monarchy's banknotes of Nepal.
While the blog in English came back to Christmas Eve 2014 in Saint Pierre and Miquelon, the French one goes up to Nepal with a postcard received Summer 2012.

Saturday January 9th: Of the importance of philatelic forums on the web.
With two threads of discussion from two forums (stampboards.com and fr.rec.philatelie), I explained the importance of meeting and discussing with fellow philatelists.

First example: what's happening today in countries that seem not to issue stamps anymore. They overprint their (very) old stocks like Laos in March 2014 and March 2015. And a funny way to add-up stamp on stamp when rates rise in a Nigerian post office.

Second example: how Michel, a French philatelist, created a philatelic literature database and presents his updates on fr.rec.philatelie, hence creating an emulation to catch ideas and be helped to find ressources. Last item, a French association bulletin from the 1890s.

Sunday January 10th: a royally irreverent rest.
A non philatelic post on how I continue to study Royal Britishness without stamps: American TV series and some British novels. Since November 2015 E! channel's The Royals imagined a before the murder Hamlet-style, what if Hollywood was in London and the King the serious grand son of Edward and Wallis - that both his brother and his junior children haven't forget...

Queen Elizabeth (actress Claire Foy) discovering the weight of the Imperial Crown  (Netflix).

During year 2016 Netflix will broadcast The Crown, a biography of Queen Elizabeth II. The first season will tell her life as a Princess from King Edward VIII's incident till Coronation and her husband discovering his new difficult role as just consort.

Hope there will be scene of the Queen posing for Dorothy Wilding or managing the extacy of Tony Benn when he put around her feet projects to cut off her head on the stamps of Britain by David Gentleman.

Joint issue to mark 40th anniversary of West African Community

On Thursday December 17th 2015, the presidents of the Economic Community of the West African States (ECOWAS or CÉDÉAO in French) debated on new decisions to increase their common relations during a summit in Abuja, Nigeria's capital city.

Two West African leaders presenting the common illustration of the 40 year stamps (@bidj@n.net, 18 December 2015).

Some communautary projects reach physical realisations and thus were presented to the presidents: the common biometric passport, with the ECOWAS name on cover like the European Union passports, and identity card.

In the context of the anniversary, they were satisfied of the best economic growth compared to other African communities thank to the new Common Exterior Tarriffs and the democratic elections of the past year (yes, some critics would have been welcomed). One talk reached the French media: they wondered a ban on some conceiling veil in the context of djihadist terrorism south of the Sahara.

So it was normal to issue an anniversary stamp with the celebration logotype in which the zero is the emblem of ECOWAS. A joint issue that reminds that an actual philately and a daily postal history exist in every country, perhaps not the daily right on the clock service one can know in Europe or North America.

Yes, it is difficult to follow what's happening in these countries on the postal service side, but some philatelists managed to inform fellow collectors thank to such publications like Gibbons Stamp Monthly whose last article on the contemporary cancels of Benin is dated this very month.

Oil in Nigeria

In the 1950s began the oil history of Nigeria, attracting obviously oil companies from the industrialized countries.

For example, an employee of the French Régie autonome des pétroles received this mail posted in Lagos on 20 March 1964. The R.A.P., which dated and registered its incoming mail, was one of the three firms that gave birth in 1966 to what was known as Elf Aquitaine in 1976.

I like these little non-philatelic stories hidden in a cover found by chance in stamp dealers' cour des miracles box.

Without the proper catalogue, I just say that the stamp was issued after the Nigerian independence of 1960: no more a British royal effigy, insistance on the national territory (to instate its borders is a sign of sovereignty... and, today, those of Nigeria are still disputed: example of the Bakassi peninsula).

The cancellation bear a postal message: "Clear adressing / speeds your mail", that smells a British touch.