APFFLON President, Otunba Frank Ogunojemite
KOREDE FOGO
Clearing Agents operating in the nation’s seaports have faulted President Muhammadu Buhari for excluding freight forwarders from the list of recipients of national honour award.
He agents, under the aegis of Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON), lamented that despite clearing agent’s contribution to the nation’s economy, no one is find worthy of the national award.
Speaking through its National President, Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, APFFLON said that the exclusion of freight forwarders among recipients of any of the categories of the National Honour is an attestation that the immense contribution of the subsector to the national economy is not appreciated by the government.
Ogunojemite further blamed the non recognition of freight forwarders on the infighting and lingering disunity amongst themselves especially the protracted crises rocking the boat of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents -ANLCA, the foremost association in the Ports industry.
The APFFLON National President in a statement made available to BUSINESSINSIDERNG, said worthy clearing agents such as Prince Olayiwola Shittu; Chief Ernest Elochukwu; Aare Akeem Olanrewaju; Dr. Boniface Aniebonam; Chief Taiye Oyeniyi; Chief Tijani Tijako; Chief Henry Njoku; Chief Tony Iju Nwabunike among others should have been honoured.
He said, “Nigerians and foreigners from different fields of endeavour were nominated for national awards and no single freight forwarder made the list. This mean our contributions to the economic development of our dear country is not appreciated. We have freight forwarders who have distinguished themselves as professionals and as worthy Nigerians, Prince Olayiwola Shittu; Chief Ernest Elochukwu; Aare Akeem Olanrewaju; Dr. Boniface Aniebonam; Chief Taiye Oyeniyi; Chief Tijani Tijako; Chief Henry Njoku; Chief Tony Iju Nwabunike among others.”
“I think there is no better time for practitioners in the ports industry to build a platform that will foster unity than now. We need to chart a new course and in one voice, drive home our demands. If recipients of the national awards could be chosen from different fields why exclude the freight forwarding subsector? does it mean we don’t have even one person from the subsector that deserves National Honour?” He asked rhertorically.
He continued, “for me, it does not portray us in good light, but l strongly believe that the non inclusion of a single freight forwarder among the National Awards recipients does not in anyway erase the fact that the subsector is unarguably one of the economic pillars of the Country,” Ogunojemite said.