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 freight forwarding practitioners.
Peter Obi made the statement at the IFFA general meeting and National Executive Council (NEC) meeting which held in Festac Town, Lagos at the weekend.
The IFFA BoT Chair alleged that all the freight forwarding associations have failed customs brokers and freight forwarders and that the leadership are more concerned about pecuniary gains.
Peter Obi charged newly-inaugurated 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 whom he tagged as 'mushroom associations".
Even though Chief Obi is also a member of the board of trustees of ANLCA, he said that with the birth of IFFA represents a new dawn in the life of freight forwarders and customs brokers.
Charging his members, he said: "Go out there and be good ambassadors of IFFA, take needle 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 differentiate 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 have been failures everywhere, all they have in mind is what would enter into their personal pockets", he alleged.
According to him, the inauguration of IFFA at various chapters 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 full-blown association.
According to him, "Without mincing words, all the necessary organs that make 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.
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