NAGAFF distances self from call for shippers’ council boss removal
Samson Echenim is business a.m. correspondent providing coverage for maritime, aviation, travels and hospitality. A former business correspondent at the Punch and Leadership newspapers, he has a vast experience in business reporting. Samson can be reached on samhapp2000@yahoo.com and +2348037363024
The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has denied calling for the removal of Hassan Bello, executive secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council.
A letter purportedly written by one of its executives at the Tin Can Island Chapter, Godfrey Chiemeka Nwosu, had demanded Bello’s sack.
However, the National Executive Committee of Nigeria’s largest association of freight forwarders in a disclaimer dated Thursday, April 16, 2020, and sent to Boss Mustapha, secretary-general of the Federation, decribed the call for Bello’s removal as “a crude and wicked blackmail of the highest order”saying that the Tin Can chapter scribe does not have the approval of the association to write such a petition.
NAGAFF alleged that the letter “was written for Godfrey Emeka Nwosu by his sponsors who saw him as a willing tool to be used for this blackmail maybe for a fee.”
The disclaimer signed by Increase Uche, national president of NAGAFF, described Hassan Bello as a reformer and an achiever, and that his recent turnaround of the maritime sector led to a running battle with some service providers on matters of arbitrariness, unapproved charges and shipping container deposit refunds which Bello is kicking against.
“The attention of the National Executive Committee of the NAGAFF has been drawn to a letter with the above heading sent to your office by one Godfrey Chiemeka Nwosu supposedly on behalf of a chapter of our association. We are in no way connected to this letter and state categorically that this letter did not have the approval of the association,” NAGAFF stated.
NAGAFF continued, “In our association we have a strict code of conduct for our officers when it comes to matters of communication to the Government and we do not condone it when any individual in any chapter has any grouse or indeed any praise to any government policy or act, it passes through a procedure that ends with such an action being taken only by the headquarters of the association. This said letter under reference did not follow this procedure so we assert that it did not represent the true position of our Association with respect to the leadership of Nigeria Shippers’ Council by Barr. Hassan Bello”
“All the lies and falsehoods canvassed in the said letter under reference are actually the very opposite of what Barr. Hassan Bello represents in the maritime industry.
“We in NAGAFF believe so much in Barr. Hassan’s hardwork and complete knowledge of the maritime sector of the economy that we actually advocated that he will be a lit and proper person to head the Ministry of Transportation”
“By this letter we wish to reiterate our unflinching support for Barr. Hassan Bello, the ES of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council. NAGAFF cannot be a party to any attempt to smear his audited reputation and the admiration he has earned from the numerous stakeholders through his hardworks and knowledge of the industry”.