No fewer than 50 members of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) under the auspices of the tribal sub-body ‘Oodua Maritime Forum’ have defected to the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF).
The movement of Oodua Maritime practitioners to NAGAFF was evident at the official inauguration of the new president of NAGAFF, Mr. Oluwole Adeyemi last week in Lagos where one of the pioneer members of the Yoruba group; Prince Segun Adefioye openly declared his intention to come a member of NAGAFF.
Our correspondent also sighted a contestant for the chairmanship position of Tin Can Island Chapter of ANLCA in the last election; Mr Ojo Peters Akintoye at the inauguration. His attendance at the event could however not be linked to the rumoured defection of some ANLCA members to NAGAFF. He could also not be reached for comment at the event, as he left immediately it was over.
But when contacted from clarity on what informed his decision to cross-carpet from ANLCA to NAGAFF, the top member of Oodua Maritime Forum; Prince Segun Adefioye said that there is freedom of association in Nigeria, thus there was the need for most members of the forum to align with an association like NAGAFF.
He noted that:‘’In this life you have freedom of association and if you try a particular area and you discover that there is no progress, there then you can easily find an alternative’’
‘’This movement that I am starting today is the Lords doing because i just need to try another association’’
‘’There are something I don’t need to say in public about where I am coming from because I contested for chairmanship position four good times, yet it did not work out for good’’
‘’Apart from that there are many other issues that I would not want to talk about why I have to move on because it goes beyond the physical and spiritual’’.
Sounding philosophical, he said: “Right now, I cannot walk very well and I know ANLCA election has to do with both spiritual , physical and any other attack you can think of but I thank God I am alive today’’ .
According to him, 50 other members are already in the process of registration to join NAGAFF, while others who could not make it to the handing over ceremony would do so in earnest.
Responding to the mass movement of the members from Oodua group to NAGAFF , founder of the association, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam recalled his encounter with the Prince Adefioye even as he urged the new converts to always ensure honest declaration of their consignments.
He affirmed that ‘’nobody is indispensable but I want us to work together because NAGAFF is a brand and the face of this association’’
He argued that NAGAFF is not an Igbo based group, adding that the second national president of the association was from the South- South region of the country.
Aniebonam maintained NAGAFF is not a one man show, adding people from other tribes play a key role in the sustainability of the association.
Adefioye who officially led a large crowd to the NAGAFF secretariat has completed all the necessary processes of becoming a full fledge member of the foremost freight forwarding association.
Shipping Position Daily recalls also that the President of NAGAFF has assured stakeholders in the industry that more tribes would join the association to strike a tribal balance.
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