Dr. B O Aniebonam with his wife at the occassion.
Story by Dili Utomi.
It was an evening of culture, glamour and rain of naira as the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) celebrated its 25th anniversary on Saturday. The venue was the Collonades event centre, Ikoyi and the hall was filled with men and women of means within and outside the maritime sector.
The occasion was graced by the founder of NAGAFF and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Dr. Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam, the NAGAFF president, Chief Tochukwu Ezisi was there to personally see to the success of the event as Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi was represented by Chief Olanrewaju Bakare, the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Shippers’ Council was represented by Mr. Celestine Akujiobi, the director of the Apapa Area Command of the Directorate of State Services was represented by Mr. Adekunle Olanrewaju, the AIG of Police, Maritime was represented by DSP Emeka Obasi, the former acting president of the Association of Nigerian Licenced Customs Agents (ANLCA) Dr. Kayode Farinto was there, while the SIFAX group was represented by Muyiwa Akande as Mr. Charles Okaga represented the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority.
A cross section of members at the launch.
The chairman of the occasion was Chief Azubuike Ekweozor who urged all during his opening speech with these words “Let us join hands to build a befitting secretariat for NAGAFF”. He later donated the the sum of seven million naira (₦7,000,000.00) to the association.
Mr. Charles Okaga in his Goodwill message had remarked that “NAGAFF has had a vision rooted in transparency towards global best practices and the improvement of the freight forwarding business in Nigeria”. He added that “We all need to solve the puzzle of why our neighbouring countries with very small population are handling cargoes of over two million TEUs while Nigeria with over two hundred million people has much less than that in terms of annual cargo turn over”. He added that “NAGAFF’s importance to the Nigerian economy is undeniable, they should continue to leverage their influence to develop the freight forwarding profession”. He concluded as he congratulates the association on the occasion.
NAGAFF president, Chief Tochukwu Ezisi making his presentation at the event.
The president of NAGAFF, Chief Ezisi in his welcome address noted that “The birth of NAGAFF revolutionised the Freight Forwarding industry. It emancipated Freight Forwarders from the shackles and hands of oppressors who hitherto had held them down. It marked the enthronement of professionalism in the industry wherein practitioners had to key into the vision of genuine and honest declarations which in turn tripled the huge Revenue generation to the Customs”.
It was really not a day of many speeches, but for merriment and the launch of the upgraded one billion naira (₦1,000,000,000.00) fund for the over fifty thousand member association’s permanent secretariat.
The chief launcher of the occassion was Chief Emelie Okika who donated the sum of twenty million naira as three of his friends also added one million naira each. The president of the association who had on his swearing-in ceremony some three years ago then donated the sum of ten million naira (₦10,000,000.00) again donated the sum of twenty million naira (₦20,000,000.00) on Saturday. The wife of the chairman of the organising committee, Mrs. Chukwuma donated the sum of three million naira (₦3,000,000.00) as so many other personalities made donations.
Donors at the event and those not physically present poured in various donations and as at the time of this publication, an estimated over two hundred million naira (₦200,000,000.00) had been raised for the two-storey (three floors) secretariat with a proposed parking area for fifty cars.
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