… As Increase, Anaroke, Dangaladima, Ejesieme, others bag awards of excellence
Freight forwarders on Thursday called for unity among practitioners as members of the African Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON) held their end of the year party in Lagos.
The event which held at the Freight Forwarders’ secretariat at Hajj Camp, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos saw members of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Association of Registered Freight Forwarders Nigeria (AREFFN), Association of Igbo Maritime Practitioners in Nigeria (ASIMPIN), Oodua Maritime among others in attendance.
The President of APFFLON, Otunba Frank Ogunojemite who set the ball rolling in his opening speech noted that the practicing freight forwarders need to love and tolerate each other.
Ogunojemite stated that there was need for the freight forwarders to unite so as to better the lives of their members.
He observed that disunity breeds disorganization and setback that affects the practitioners in the industry, even as he informed that as a result of that, APFFLON and some other freight forwarding association are engaging in capacity building to impact on all individual practitioners in the freight forwarding industry.
The APFFLON President maintained that there is no gratuity, no pension for freight forwarders even as he contended that if there is unity, freight forwarders would be able to embark on projects that would impact on the lives of their members.
“But in a case where there is disunity, there will not be proper organization, there won’t be progress, we need to show love to ourselves and how do we do that? It is through tolerance and forgiveness with that we can begin to come together like this”, he said.
He continued, “Also capacity building is very necessary and it is supposed to impact on all individuals in the freight forwarding industry, there have been a lot of setbacks because CRFFN ought to have done this but with the way things are going, we have decided that all freight forwarding associations should come together to empower our members and concerned freight forwarders.”
On his part, the founder of NAGAFF, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam also made a case for unity of purpose among freight forwarders, while describing the President of APFFLON as an energetic and selfless leader.
Represented by the National Secretary, NAGAFF, Mr. Dipo Olayoku, Aniebonam commended the APFFLON president for the role he is playing in the association urging him to sustain the tempo.
Also speaking, the National President of ANLCA, Chief Iju Tony Nwabunike submitted that freight forwarders are one indivisible family regardless of which association they belong.
Nwabunike who was represented by the Chairman, ANLCA, Airport Chapter, Mr. Kehinde Akintola insisted that it is only when the freight forwarders unite in purpose that the practitioners can achieve and surmount the challenges confronting the freight forwarders in the industry.
He urged the freight forwarders present to give each other necessary support needed in the industry.
Meanwhile, a former National President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Chief Increase Uche, the publisher of MMS Plus newspaper, Mr. Kingsley Anaroke, Television Continental (TVC)’s Maritime correspondent, Mrs. Ifunanya Ezeh and the publisher, Shipping Position newspaper, Mr. Sesan Onileimo bagged Excellence Awards given by the Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON) at the event.
Other awardees were; Customs Area Controller, Murtala Mohammed Airport, Comptroller Sambo Dangaladima, President of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders Nigeria (AREFFN), Alhaji Bala Daura, NAGAFF’s Secretary General, Mr. Dipo Olayoku, Public Relations Officer, Tincan Island Port command, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr. Uche Ejesieme, and Mr. Victor Oteri.
Speaking on the awards, APFFLON President, Otunba Frank Ogunojemite said the association rolled out the awards as part of activities to mark its end of year celebration which saw a rare combination of freight forwarders from various groups in unity at the Murtala Muhammed Airport chapter.
Photo: APFFLON President, Otunba Frank Ogunojemite addressing the gathering on the occasion of the association’s end of the year party held at Freight Forwarders secretariat, Hajj Camp, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos on Thursday.
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