The Association of Registered Freight Forwarders Nigeria (AREFFN) yesterday inaugurated its newly acquired national secretariat amidst cheers and accolades on the Alhaji Bala Lawan Daura led interim National Executive.
The new secretariat which is situated at Plot 9 Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, by Globespin, Coker Bus Stop in Lagos is a one flat apartment.
Speaking at the event, the interim National President of the association, Alhaji Bala Lawan Daura while welcoming all members of the association to their new secretariat, thanked those who contributed in securing the new secretariat for the association.
Daura who reminded the members of that association that AREFFN had just started like a new born baby with the new national Secretariat believed that AREFFN had come to stay even as he said that had started a new life which he said was a fresh start for all of them.
“I want to plead that we all come together and work for the interest of the association so that we can move this association to the next level. I believe that whenever we come together to work as one, the sky will be our limit and we should not forget that Lagos is the headquarter of every maritime activities, so, it is our responsibility, those of us who stay in Lagos, who work in Lagos, for us to make AREFFN great and what we need to make AREFFN great is not a big thing, it is just a small thing but we may be finding it difficult.
“Today, AREFFN is one of the five registered associations and I can tell you that after ANLCA and NAGAFF, AREFFN is the next association to talk about. So, I want to use this opportunity of our new secretariat opening today to plead with those our members who have not been coming around to come around let us work together because each and every one of will benefit from this association one way or the other.
“For us who have a time limit at the leadership level, we want to make sure that during our stay in office, we will have a record that we leave behind as a legacy. So, that is why we are pleading so that those members who we lost their contact one way or the other, some of us who do see them should tell them that AREFFN has begun in a new footing”, he said.
He however called on the chapter Chairmen of the association to compile the register of members in the chapters and forward same to the national secretariat so as to enable them reach out to their members and carry them along in their day to day activities.
According to him, “People can come around, lay complains; discuss issues and matters that bother them because what makes us association is the interest of the people we are leading. Let us come together, canvass for more membership, let people understand that Association of Registered Freight Forwarders is an open association where everybody can come and key in. If there are no members, there is no association, members make association”.
While announcing the appointment of Ichie Frank Obiekezie as the Chief of Staff to the National President, he said,” For those of our executives who are here today, we know that in every movement, if you are running an open door policy, if you are not there, somebody must be there. Because I reside in Port-Harcourt, most of the time, there are issues that may come up as emergency which I may not be around to attend to. So, for that, I decided to appoint Ichie Frank Obiekezie as my Chief of Staff in case of any issue that arise that the chapters cannot handle, they should liaise with him so that whatever it is, it will be solved within that period of time because we know coming down from the east all the time, we may have delays or whatever. So, whatever is the issue, you can channel it to Ichie so that Ichie can go there and tackle the matter if it is above the chapter Chairman or the Zonal Coordinator. But whatever you have at the chapter level, the Chairman will be able to handle it”.
Photo: A chieftain of AREFFN, Comptroller Chris Banye rtd., Interim National Secretary of AREFFN, Mr. Chidi Anthony Opara, Interim National President of AREFFN, Alhaji Bala Lawan Daura and former National President of AREFFN, Dr. Frank Ukor during the inauguration of the new AREFFN Secretariat in Lagos yesterday.
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