Demola Irinyemi (Registrar, IFFN)
My opinion on this issue is that I am not happy neither am I unhappy, the bottom line is that if anyone is given a chance to occupy a place of assignment and more importantly, a place where our inputs have much influence on the nation’s economy, a place were our position has strong effect on the advancement of the sector we belong to, then caution must be observed. Aside that, if you are in the place of assignment and there are regulations and constitutions as to the tenure that you are going to enjoy, it is very honourable to leave when the tenure has lapsed, it is more honourable that even when we chose to vacate office, people advocate for our continuity based on our impact.
As far as this issue is concerned, I am not excited about his removal neither am I unhappy, I remain neutral, but my advocacy is that if his tenure has expired it is honourable for him to step down, but it should not be done forcefully, they should have been able to reach a compromise where it will be done in a more honourable way looking at the constitution that sets up the association and doing it in a legal way.
Mazi Joseph Anabaraonye (Registrar, FFAN)
I don’t know who dissolved the council of managing directors, but one thing I know, though I have not seen their constitution is that Lucky Amiwero made the constitution and made himself life president, my suggestion is that those who call themselves founding fathers in the association go and amend the constitution, because this is a legal matter and you can not just say that you have dissolved the executives, no matter the meeting they held, due process should be followed.
The first thing they should do is to amend the constitution in order to give them the power to do what they are doing and change the life president clause in the constitution because if somebody should call himself life president and you say you have dissolved his cabinet, he is still the president constitutionally. So that is why they have to first of all amend that constitution and remove the life president clause, that is the only time that they can now say they want to conduct an election and everything will be democratized, not just one person who had the privilege to draft the constitution and making himself a life president, it is morally wrong but it has been there. All they need do is call the congress and move a motion to amend the constitution and set up a committee to do it, it will be forwarded to the cooperate affairs commission and by so doing, due process would have been followed, it’s wrong to use illegality to achieve what you want.
Ugochukwu Nnadi (chairman NAGAFF, PTML)
Well, for me I don’t support insubordination and undemocratic measures, as we all know, Lucky Amiwero has been there for too many years and this is very wrong but I still don’t think it should be something that they will not be able to resolve peacefully.
The normal process which, I believe they should have followed is to call him, sit him down and try to resolve the issue; it is only after this that they can do anything. 13 years is wrong for any man to stay in office but there are ways of doing things, to me I believe they should have followed due process.
My opinion is that the members of that association should come together, call him and try to harmonize together in order top forge ahead
What I will say in a nutshell is that the president of the national council of managing directors, Mr Lucky Amiwero is not the owner of the council which he himself knows. If members are tired of his services, there are due processes that should be followed, they have a constitution, they should abide by it and follow due process in removing their president.
He is not just an ordinary officer, he is the president of the council, if they should follow due process, there will be no court case at the end of the day, there will be no fighting or whatever.
The removal is illegal in the sense that some people just organized themselves and decided to play this kangaroo game by removing him, the council is not the only association in the maritime industry that is undemocratic.
It is true that he has been on that particular position for 13 years, but there is no doubt that he is very intelligent and knows much about the happenings in the industry and hence the kangaroo method adopted in his removal is very sad in the sense that some people outside the council organized his removal.
Normally we are in a democratic dispensation where he should have submitted himself for election but be that as it may, it is still very unfair that some extra hands from outside the council should come over to do that job.
To me I don’t think there is anything wrong with removing Lucky as president of the council, the only thing that is constant in this life is change and it is inevitable, therefore nobody should hold a post for that long, for 13 years he has been perpetuating himself in office and monopolizing power.
We can all see how well and how far he has done, he have calved a niche for himself in the industry by doing well for the council, and he positioned it and used the council to play his role effectively in the maritime industry.
I think its time for him to step down and allow younger minds to come in to run the council; his role should now be an advisory one.
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