An indigenous group operating in the maritime industry; the Oodua Maritime forum has distanced itself from the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), saying the group is not a baby of the freight forwarding association.
The group has also yesterday dissociated itself from the foremost clearing agents association. It maintained that ANLCA has no stake in the tribal body, forum and that it is purely for stakeholders in the maritime industry.
Addressing participants at the forum’s meeting yesterday in Lagos, convener of the gathering, Prince Segun Adefioye called on founding fathers of the forum to speak up on the challenges being faced by the forum.
He said, having being privileged to be involved in setting up of the group in 1997, there is need for practitioners in the maritime industry to understand that Oodua Maritime Forum is not for clearing agents which ANLCA members perceived it to be, adding that the motive for floating the forum was essentially to protect the interest of Yoruba workers in the maritime sector.
Adefioye stated that the mission and vision must not be neglected because the forum was not set up solely for clearing agents.
Speaking further, he explained that at the inception of the forum, other sub-sectors of the industry including: ship owners, ship chandlers , dockworkers, members of Maritime Workers Union , staff of maritime agencies and shipping companies all have a stake in the forum. He lamented that, it appears that members of ANLCA misconstrue the vision.
He said, ‘’our aims and objectives then was to protect the interest of Oodua sons and daughter in the industry ,not for ANLCA members alone, but for the maritime industry at large’’
Adefioye stated that the meeting was held to further correct and address so many anomalies which have resulted into confusion among practitioners who want to be member of the forum.
Explaining who should be a member of the Oodua Maritime Forum, he stressed that the every Yoruba indigene in the maritime sector is eligible to register with the forum.
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