Findings by Shipping Position Daily have revealed that the Importers’ Association of Nigeria (IMAN) has finally broken free from over a decade of leadership tussles, with 85 percent of its internal disputes now resolved.
The development follows years of bitter court battles, accusations of perjury, and factional rivalries that slowed down the association’s activities and fractured its membership.
Shipping Position Daily gathered that the crisis stemmed from alleged attempts by the late Chief Osita Okereke to hijack the leadership of the body by altering the composition of its board through controversial filings with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). This led to years of litigation, with members accusing Okereke of perjury and illegal restructuring of the association’s governing structure.
Court battles dragged on for years, with multiple rulings, appeals, and what insiders described as the “mysterious disappearance” of case files.
But, speaking to our correspondent last week at the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, the Acting National President and Chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT), Chief Gilbert Obi noted that no industry stakeholder could claim ignorance of the intrigues and antecedents that had fueled the formation of the breakaway groups over the years.
According to him, the divisions were largely driven by a lack of understanding among “uninformed groupings” that failed to recognize IMAN as a single, united association.
The Acting President emphasized that unity was vital for IMAN to achieve its core mandate of representing the interests of importers across Nigeria. He assured members that the NEC would continue to pursue reconciliation and reforms that would strengthen the association’s credibility and reposition it for effective service to the maritime and trade sector.
The Acting President of the Importers’ Association of Nigeria (IMAN) has called for peace and reconciliation within the association, stressing the need to integrate splinter groups back into the main body for the stability and growth of the organization.
Director General of IMAN Taskforce, Chijioke Okoro who spoke with Shipping Position Daily, confirmed that the long-standing crisis had been largely addressed, describing it as a milestone in the group’s history.
“In every organization, even in government, there will be crisis sometimes. But the ability to resolve it and make it work is what matters most. This is Nigeria, where everything can happen. Nobody can give account of that case file in court till today. Today, we have resolved 85 percent of the problem in IMAN,” Okoro disclosed.
