… Says NAGAFF has an iconoclastic vision to change the way things were done***

The founder, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam has described the body as the country’s biggest freight forwarding group, saying its main mission of NAGAFF is the liberation of the relevant industry operators. 

Aniebonam also described the major challenges he met particularly at inception, as divinely positioned to challenge him and inspire him to ensure the survival of the NAGAFF.

“NAGAFF is a pacesetter, and we are children of God. We are not against anybody and we can never be against anybody. For those who are after NAGAFF, good luck to them”, he stated, stressing that the body was blessed with the iconoclastic vision to change the way things were done, in order to improve efficiency and productivity. 

Highlighting his determination to change the narratives and entrench a more efficient order at the ports, Aniebonam said, it was for this reason that NAGAFF pursue the goal of influencing the aspect of grooming a political will. 

“In the course of our journey, we discovered that a lot of what we are doing is to change the way business is done at entry points. But, we were not getting the satisfaction we needed, in terms of increasing productivity at the points of operation and management, particularly operations. 

 “When we took off in 1999, the ports were moving into the second degree of development, the Dangotes, the Flour Mill, and others were coming up, and we thought that something urgently needed to be done. Consequently, we began the advocacy of the Deep Sea Ports. That took us to Badagry, met with Oba Akran, came back, articulated a very good document; on the need for Nigeria to become a hub (within, at least, the West African Countries).

“Looking at the level of Cargo throughput, we foresee what is going on now, today within the port environment. We are focused on the need to create expansion and to create capacity. 

“Nigeria has the potential of being a hub, a center where small vessels can take cargo and move them to other smaller ports. 

“We gave that document to Baba Obasanjo. I was assisted to meet with (Chief) Obasanjo by the former Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, Fadaunsi. He created the opportunity for me, and I went to Otta, saw Baba, and gave him the document. I am happy that today the Deep Sea Ports are coming up”.   

 He spoke about his advocacy for Truck Terminals, following the congestion growing in the ports space as well as the roads. The idea was to ensure that only trucks needed on the ports would be called in. 

 He expressed dissatisfaction that the current efforts in that direction are wobbling because they didn’t start early. 

  “But these are things we talk about, about 20 years ago, all in writings” he stated, lamenting that till date Trucks and tankers still occupy the top of the bridge. 

The NAGAFF Founder insisted that the road to Apapa should be expanded because it should not be anything less than 8 lanes. 

 According to Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, it was the failure to get speedy and commensurating responses that finally led to the formation of the NNPP, a political arm for informed stakeholders, to entrench realistic choices and guarantee genuine platform, for true liberation of the people.