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The Chairman Board of Trustees of the International Freight Forwarders Association (IFFA) Chief Peter Obi, has accused the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN) and others of not being genuinely concerned about the plight of their subjects
Obi made the accusation at the IFFA general meeting and National Ececutive Council (NEC) meeting which held in Festac Town, Lagos.
He alleged that all the freight forwarding associations have failed customs brokers and freight forwarders and that the leaderships are more concerned about gratification and pecuniary gains.
The chairman charged newly Innaugurated IFFA chapter executives to go into the port and make a difference. He specifically charged them not to behave like officials of ANLCA, NAGAFF, AREFFN and others who he tagged as ‘mushroom associations.’
Obi who is also a member of the board of trustees of ANLCA, said that with the birth of IFFA, there is a new dawn for freight forwarders and customs brokers.
Charging his members, he said “Go out there and be good ambassadors of IFFA, take niddle and sew your pockets, concentrate on your work, the money would come later, get to know the job first”
“If you are an IFFA member and you go out there and start doing like ANLCA, NAGAFF, AREFFN and other mushroom associations, you would be the same thing with them and nobody would know the difference. Go out there and differenciate yourself from all these associations, make name for yourself and the money would come later”
“Other associations have failed the clearing agents and freight forwarders, there has been failures everywhere, all they have in mind is what would enter into their personal pockets”
“There was a time when everybody was afraid of associations. All the security agencies were afraid of Association, I want you people to return that respect back to the wharf, when this is done, you would see people writing applications to become members of this group”
He said that IFFA has been in place since 2002 and since then, it has been watching and monitoring how other associations were nosediving.
According to him, the innauguration of IFFA at various chapter has created fears in the heart of many associations.
Also speaking at the meeting, National President of IFFA, Dr. Sam Onyemelikwe maintained that the association is not competing with any other body.
He recalled that IFFA originally used to be a front line pressure group, but that it has been transformed into a fully grown and blown association.
According to him, “Without mincing words, all the necessary organs that makes associations thick are going to be added to it to enable IFFA move on a faster pace”
At the General Meeting, Onyemelikwe innaugurated a new board of the association led by Chief Peter Obi.
Damien Obianigwe, Chief Executive of FANO Bonded Terminal is now Vice chairman of the board, others are Prince Ozor Chukwura, Obi Azodo, Barrister Edward Nnaji, Emmanuel Ofomata and former President of IFFA, David Okutalukwe.
He also unveiled the new executives of Apapa chapter led by Chief Osita Patrick Chukwu, as well as a Presidential task officer, Comrade Emeka Mbachu.
Speaking on the fact that majority of IFFA members are also prominent members of ANLCA, he said that this is not against the constitution of IFFA.
“No association is exclusive, anyone can belong to any association of his choice as it is not in our constitution, whoever is playing a dual role, we leave them to their conscience. In the future, it would be addressed”
“We have a lot of our members who are members of other associations”
He assured that once the board of the CRFFN is constituted, the IFFA would get registered on the council.
