At 25, NAGAFF grooms 50,000 practitioners, raises over N100m for new secretariat
Paul Ogbuokiri
It was Naira rain on Saturday in Lagos as the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), celebrated its 25 years of prodigious existence in the Nigerian maritime industry.
The Silver Jubilee anniversary which coincided with the association’s fund raising for a new digital secretariat, was graced by the Founder of NAGAFF and Founder of the New Nigeria Peoples’ Party (NNPP), Dr Boniface Aniebonam and his wife; President of NAGAFF, Chief Tochukwu Ezisi; representative of the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), representative of Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi, the Elegushi of Ikate Kingdom, Lekki; former presidents of NAGAFF; former Acting President of Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Dr Kayode Farinto, and the high and mighty in the Nigerian freight forwarding industry.
Advocacy Times reports that the highpoint of the event which held at prestigious Colonades Hotel, Ikoyi, was the fund raising for the proposed N500 million NAGAFF ultra-new secretariat.
Chief launcher, Chief Emelie Okika (Oba Agbogidi N’Nri), called for all hands to be on deck to ensure the realization of the new secretariat complex in due time. He opened the donations with a whopping sum of N20 million, and another N3 million from his three friends. Chairman of the occasion, High Chief Azubuike Ekweozor (Ide Umuawulu Nwanayoeze) and his friends donated N10 million; the Chairman of Ikorodu Chapter of NAGAFF donated N10 million, among many others.
President of NAGAFF, Chief Tochukwu Ezisi, who refused to be outdone by anybody also made a donation of N20 million while several of his friends sent in millions upon millions of Naira.
In his opening remarks, Chief Ezisi reaffirmed the commitment of NAGAFF to human capacity development for practitioners, saying in the 25 years of existence of the association, it has groomed a total of 50,000 freight forwarding practitioners who are presently plying their trade across the country.
The National President re-echoed that job creation in freight forwarding by NAGAFF in the maritime industry has increased significantly, a development, he said if replicated in the other sectors of the economy, would reduce social vices in the country.
Ezisi stated that human capacity development is a core mandate for members by the association adding that the NAGAFF has revolutionized freight forwarding practice in Nigeria.
He disclosed that the new digital secretariat when completed would focus on training and retraining of freight forwarders in the Nigeria.
According to him, NAGAFF as a public advocacy group has ensured that all revenue due to the Federal Government through import and excise duties are duly paid by practitioners.
Determined to support seamless port operations in the port industry, the President stressed that the association was committed to the growth of international trade by facilitating the movement of goods and services across international frontiers.
His words: “We have created over 50,000 jobs for young people thereby reducing social vices that unemployment has caused in the country. Ordinarily, these younger ones should have taken to crime which creates a state of insecurity but NAGAFF has created the platform for them to add value to their lives and family.”
He further called on maritime agencies to up the ante in furtherance to promoting international best practices in the industry.
“Also I want to appeal to NCS, NPA, NSC, etc to step up their game to be in tune with the standard global practices, so that they can favorably compete with other ports and ensure that more cargo vessels call at our ports.
Giving a background about the association since inception in 1999, Ezisi recalled that “The birth of NAGAFF revolutionized the freight forwarding industry. It emancipated Freight Forwarders from the shackles and hand of oppressors who 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 generations of the Customs.”
“NAGAFF as a public advocacy group has ensured that all revenue due to the government through import duties & exercise fees are duly and promptly paid by all practitioners. To realise this noble course, she set up various arms and committee that took day and night to realise this goal in collaboration with the customs; she has helped to block all areas of revenue leakages by ensuring that the trading public is complaint with extant laws as enshrined in the revised CEMA Acts 2023.
“We have been contributing and will always contribute to the growth of our GDP. We are committed to the growth of international trade by facilitating the movement of goods and services across international borders,” Ezisi stated.