The newly elected executives of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) can now officially exercise the authority of their offices.
The executives were sworn into office yesterday by the legal adviser and Vice President of the association, Barrister Fred Akhokia with the mandate to represent the leadership of the association at their various chapters.
The NAGAFF President, Chief Eugene Nweke, during his speech, expressed confidence in the ability of the officers to be of good leadership and to “fit into the 21st century freight forwarding operations in Nigeria”.
The swearing-in ceremony, which was combined with the hosting of winners of the 2014 Maritime Cup Competition- the NAGAFF Football Club, was witnessed by members, friends and well wishers of the association.
Present at the ceremony were representatives of the Nigerian Air force, Nigerian Police Force, Nigerian Customs Service and other freight forwarding associations.
Coordinator Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service, who was represented by Assistant Comptroller General Douglas Egbuna, during his goodwill message, commended the association for not only its victory in the 6th Maritime Cup Competition but for its significant contributions to the maritime industry.
He said that the leadership of the association has never relented in its advocacy of trade facilitation even as he urged the upcoming leaders to follow the footstep of their predecessors.
He said that the Nigeria Customs Service is glad that it was NAGAFF it succumbed to in the Maritime Cup Competition because of the long standing cordial relationship between the two organizations.
Also present at the event, was the President of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO)), Chief Remi Ogungbemi, who congratulated NAGAFF for its notable achievements with special reference to the NAGAFF Founder, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, who he described as “a leader, shaker and amplifier.”
He said NAGAFF was a force to reckon with in the maritime industry with Aniebonam at its forefront.
Ogungbemi narrated how his association has benefited from the significance of Aniebonam as a relevant stakeholder in the industry.
He said: “According to the law of Customs, if any good is seized the mea ns of conveying such a good should also be seized. Many of our members have suffered a lot because of this. Some of our trucks were seized because of this law; trucks that our members borrowed from the banks to purchase. As a result of the intervention of the Founder of NAGAFF, today I can say categorically that Customs are no longer seizing our trucks and we are very grateful to him.”
The NAGAFF Founder thanked Ogunbemi and other guests present at the ceremony for their show of support to his association which he prides as a pacesetter.
He said that NAGAFF strives to maintain a cordial relationship with other stakeholders in the port industry and the government as a whole.
Aniebonam urged the inaugurated chapter executives to imbibe the leadership skills they were taught and to assert authority in line with best freight forwarding practice.
“Those of you operating in the ports must understand right now that the government is duly worried about the conduct of freight forwarders within the port industry and transport as a whole and that has to do with the level of compliance” he said.
Aniebonam urged them to portray the association in the light it has worked hard to achieve by encouraging their members to make genuine declarations.
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