Few months to elections of chapter executives of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) the Tin Can chapter chairmanship aspirant of the association, Chief Azubuike Ekweozor, has urged members to disregard those who are accusing him of not being on ground in Tin Can.
Ekweozor who made this call recently when he came to pick the nomination form into the chapter at NAGAFF headquarters in Lagos also applauded his first tenure, saying that it was a people-oriented regime .
Speaking at the event, he said, “I don’t have any business to do in Apapa, anybody that knows me knows that where I resume my business is in Tin Can. So, I don’t know anything about what they are talking. The whole world knows that in my regime, when I came onboard on rescue mission, I have redeemed the image of NAGAFF in Tin Can. A lot of things went wrong before I was called upon and the headquarters called it a rescue mission. So, I was begged and pleaded with to come and rescue NAGAFF Tin Can and of course, I did it and today, NAGAFF wears a new face in Tin Can”
On his inability to secure a permanent secretariat for the association at the chapter during his first term, Ekweozor disagreed with those accusing him of failure in that regard, he argued that everybody knew that he had tried as much as he could to secure a large apartment since the NAGAFF headquarters said they won’t approve any office for NAGAFF in the chapter outside Tin Can.
“We have gone to Seaview Properties severally, demanding for space but up till now, they have not given us a space. The logistics to acquire a bigger office is not a problem, but if today a space is found, I am ready to do the needful”, he assured.
“I have been a fair Chairman as far as Tin Can is concerned. If I am elected in this second tenure, I am expected to co-opt more members because association is all about population. It is true that we are being densely populated but in my second tenure, I will make sure that I add more because according to the headquarters standard, association is all about members and I am ready to do so in my second tenure”
Earlier, the National President of NAGAFF, Chief Increase Uche wished the aspirant success, even as he added : ”I want to wish the Chairmanship aspirant of Tin Can well, that by the special grace of God, everything will go well, the best candidate will emerge at the end of the day”.
Also speaking the Chairman of the NAGAFF Electoral Commission (NECOM), Mr Okey Nerus Uchegbu stated that just as they had advised all others that had came to pick forms to make their campaigns issue based, they were advising the Tin Can Chairmanship aspirant not to malign anybody.
“If there are such reports from your own end, NECOM will have to wield the big stick. But we don’t pray that it gets to that. We will only wish you well and pray that the good lord will guide you. Like the President has said, our prayer is that at the end of the day, let the best candidate win”.
Customs Seizes 3, 309 Bags Of Foreign Rice From Smugglers In Katsina 7
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit, Zone B, said it had seized no fewer than 3,309 bags of foreign rice from smugglers in November 2017.
Its Comptroller, Alhaji Usman Dakingari, disclosed this on Friday in Katsina while briefing newsmen on the activities of the unit.
He said that the unit also seized 209 cartons of spaghetti, 181 bags of sugar and 461 jerry cans of vegetable oil.
He said other items seized included 79 cartons of mosquito coil, 157 bales of second-hand clothes and six vehicles pointing out that all the seized items have Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N652.9 million.
He said that the items were seized from smugglers in Katsina and other states under the jurisdiction of the unit during the period under review.
‘’We will continue to ensure that foreign rice and other prohibited commodities are not smuggled into the country,’’ he said.
Dakingari however expressed concern over the attitude of some people at border communities that engaged in the illegal smuggling activities as means of their livelihood.
‘’If you tell them that smuggling is bad they will tell you that what business do you want them to do or this is something they have inherited,’’ he said.
He, therefore, stressed the need for other stakeholders to intensify efforts toward enlightening the border communities on the dangers associated with smuggling on the nation’s economy and health of the people.
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