The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Cargo

  • Work on Benue cargo airport begins today

    Work will begin today on the Benue Cargo Airport at Daudu, Guma Local Government Area.

    The project is undertaken by Airotropolis Nigeria Ltd.

    Benue State government officials, led by the governor’s  Chief of Staff, Terwase Orbunde, at the weekend, formally introduced Airotropolis Nigeria Ltd to the host community.

    He was accompanied by commissioners for Works and Justice Emmanuel Mange; Mike Gusah and the traditional ruler of Guma council, Chief Ivoko Unongu.

    Orbunde told the host community the government was happy the project was under way.

    He enjoined them to cooperate with Airotropolis and the government during the construction.

    The chief of staff assured them of fairplay in negotiation of compensations and job placements at the Airport.

    Project Manager Dr. Basil John admitted that Benue got the Cargo Airport through the effort of Governor Samuel Ortom.

    He said the Cargo Airport would make Benue a destination hub for heavy machines and agricultural products, adding that soon there will be an Aviation School, with a capacity to graduate 50 students each from the 23 local governments.

  • ‘Cargo airports without facilities won’t work’

    ‘Cargo airports without facilities won’t work’

    Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCOL) Managing Director Mr. Rizwan Kadri believes it is good that some states are considering having cargo airports.But he advises that the airports must have amenities to facilitate exports. Kelvin Osa-Okunbor met him.

    Some states are building cargo airports to promote agro-allied exports. What should be done to ensure they succeed?

    The cargo sub-sector is one of the most prominent, viable and promising of all the sectors in the aviation industry; most of the airlines earn a lot of revenue from this sector. Yes, it is a good idea, but then, merely announcing cargo airports without adequate facilities will not work. So, whatever they are doing has to be planned. Building cargo airports where you have the farmers but without infrastructure, such as good road network around them, cold room, as well as other storage facilities, will be tantamount to mere jamboree.

    The government has announced plans to privatise some of the major airports. How should this be done to avoid the inefficiencies in previously privatised entities?

    It’s a good plan, but it has to be done well because private models have worked everywhere. One thing to avoid is selling these infrastructure to friends or people without the requisite capacity to operate them efficiently. Airports are not just for commercial interest, they are very sensitive facilities for the country; the airports must not only be good, they must be user-friendly as well. So, everything you do here must be well planned.

    When you privatise, the government relaxes and the private operators take the ownership, put in their money and manage them to make profit; they will not like to have any undue interference because his money is involved. Private airports will really work if they are planned well.

    What are the effects of the foreign exchange regime on the cargo handling sector?

    Forex has huge effects on the cargo business. Since Nigeria depends largely on imports, the exchange rate problem also affects imports because what an importer spends on commodities before has now doubled. As a result of this, every item that comes into the country has become expensive since our international trade depends on the dollar.

    The airline business is further compounded by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s new forex policy, which makes it very difficult, or almost impossible for foreigners operating in the airline industry to repatriate their earnings. The exchange rate has led to a significant drop in the volume of imports into the country. Imports is paid for mainly in dollars; so if somebody bought a product last year and the same product is costing almost double this year, what will he do? And because the cost of importation has gone so high, the market is low, even some of the traders have stopped importing.

    Why is it that over the years the cargo sub-sector of aviation has not been active in contributing meaningfully to the economy?

    You see, during the oil boom, people tended to neglect this sub-sector. However, due to the dwindling oil prices, coupled with the downturn in the country’s economy, exports have become one of the major factors and cargoes always play major economic role for any country. The link between getting the stuffs in and out of any country is cargo related, whether air freight or sea freight, you need the cargo operation to succeed. So, basically, cargo plays a very important role in aviation. My vision for cargo is to have a fantastic cargo operation that will play its expected role in the light of the current financial challenges Nigeria is facing.

    Last year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) ranked Africa, particularly Nigeria, low. Why? How do we improve on it?

    A lot of factors are responsible for it. First, the government never promoted the cargo business. During the oil boom era, people made so much money from there but neglected other areas including the cargo sub-sector. Export has not really played its expected role before now because no serious and conscious efforts have been made in the past to promote it. What should have constituted the bulk of Nigeria’s export are agricultural produce, but like I said, conscious effort was not made in the past to promote it because of over dependence on petrol export.

    How can this imbalance be corrected?

    To correct the imbalance, basically, the government should look out for more exports. It should motivate its people, who I see to be very hardworking. When a country has that, the country has an asset in that it has an industrious and rich population that could readily provide the needed labour. When this is done there would be more than enough to engage the cargo operation.

    Secondly, for exports to thrive there should be a lot of incentives given to the farmers so that they can produce more for export. The roads, transportation and connectivity are not so good to bring in goods to Lagos or the nearest airport; the storage facilities are not there; all these have to be put in place. Besides, a lot of backing from the government is required. We need a lot of government support for the aviation industry to grow; we have to do something about the customs duties that are very high; help the farmers out, have production within the country for export, identify key countries we want to export to. Above all, government has a role to play in encouraging the cargo sub-sector to grow.

    The IATA has raised concerns over high airport taxes and charges in some African countries, including Nigeria. How is this affecting cargo and ground handling business?

    Interestingly, this observation has been on for a long time. It has been a huge area of concern for investors in the aviation sector. I think IATA has passed the message across, the way the message should be couched that African countries need to  do something about prohibitive chages and taxes. If government does not do something urgent about this, the negative impact on the industry is dire. I am convinced that the relevant agencies, have noted the concern and are doing something to address the situation .

    In Nigeria, I am reliably informed that a committee set up by the government on airport charges and charges as it affects all operators is being looked into and I am sure the matter will be resolved to make the operating environment friendly. When charges are too high, it does not encourage cost recovery for any investor.

    In Nigeria, ground handling companies are already feeling the impact of high charges and taxes. The way to go for me, is that the relevant agencies of government should engage operations in line with global standards to fix charges  and taxes that would achieve a win win situation. That for me is the way to go. If the industry is feeling the impact of high taxes and charges, this has a huge effect on costs of running the business.

  • Ministry queries LADOL for gazette on oil, gas cargo

    Ministry queries LADOL for gazette on oil, gas cargo

    The Federal Ministry of Transportation has queried the management of LADOL Integrated Logistics FZE to explain how it came about a “purported’’ gazette, which enabled the company to receive ships carrying oil and gas-related cargoes.

    A source close to the ministry said on Sunday that this was contained in the correspondence between LADOL and the ministry.

    The ministry recalled that at a meeting between the Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, and maritime stakeholders in March, LADOL presented a gazette, which the ministry said its authenticity was in doubt.

    The ministry demanded that LADOL furnished it with more information on how it came about the purported gazette No 54 , Volume 95, of Lagos, September 4, 2008, which allowed it to receive a maximum of two-ocean going ships per week.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that at the March meeting, the minister told terminal operators to submit documents to show there were no terminals dedicated to handle oil and gas cargoes.

    The minister explained that the Presidential approval of April 20, 2015, be strictly complied with by relevant maritime stakeholders.

    According to the ministry, the presidential approval states that “the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) project can be located at Agge, Bayelsa State, when the facilities to handle such operations are developed.

    “In addition, the FPSO can be conveniently located at any designated oil and gas terminal. All oil and gas-related cargoes must be handled only at designated terminals as in the letter from the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

    “Operators are, however, free to choose the port of discharge for their cargoes within the designated terminals at Onne, Warri and Calabar,’’ the ministry said.

  • ‘Agro allied export, cargo boost to economy’

    ‘Agro allied export, cargo boost to economy’

    If Nigeria needs to turn around its economy, it must rethink its dependence on the export of crude oil and diversify into cargo and agro allied export. Such paradigm shift will guarantee food security and create a window for Nigerian exports to Europe and the global markets where it could earn over $52 billion yearly, in addition to creating jobs. The Managing Director of ABX World, Captain John Okakpu, in this interview with KELVIN OSA-OKUNBOR speaks on these and other issues.  

    There have been calls on the government to convert some airports to cargo airport; because of the availability of agro-allied products in the area where such airports are located. Do you agree with this?

    Who goes to Akure airport? It is not the government that would go there. So, the government can designate more than 100 airports, are they the ones that will fly there? It is the private sector. The government has a lot of role to play in this part, but as far as the 13 cargo airports are concerned, they are blue-sky projects that will not work. The only airport that I can say is fit for a cargo airport in Nigeria is Ilorin. Ilorin is at the entrance and the exit point of Nigeria. But the problem with Ilorin is the road network that will take you to other areas. There is no road network. It is easier for a cargo airline to come into Nigeria, drop its cargo in Ilorin, pick some of the produce and off it goes. If you start taking a European flight to Calabar, that is crossing the airspace, when they get to Calabar, what are they dropping there? Did they have enough cargo from their origin into Calabar to go and carry whatever you say you have there?

    What does Nigeria stand to gain if it invests in agro allied products for export?

    We have over 10 million Nigerians living outside the country. Do not forget that the market is geared towards Nigerians out there, who are looking for home food and products. So, if one Nigerian spends $100 on a particular food item for a day, multiply that by how many items he will need in a week, month and a year, all through, with the amount he will be paying for these food items if they are available. The amount will be unimaginable. Nigeria is a mono-economy country, depending on only crude oil to run its budgets. We need to wake up now that the oil price has fallen to low index. This is the time to diversify the economy and invest heavily in agriculture and agro-allied products. To focus on agriculture, you need huge number of well-trained farmers, who will in turn form co-operative societies. You also need the supply chain that will get the products to their destinations, as well as warehouses, storage and packaging facilities. Our goal is to create 20 million jobs in two years, while Nigeria will be able to generate $52b annually from the export of agro allied products alone. There should not be any reason Nigerians should suffer in the midst of plenty, especially as 70 per cent of all exportable farm produce comes from Northern Nigeria.

    What are your targeted farm produce?

    We have 75 products and out of that, one of the major and the top line product exported out of Nigeria is a leaf called Ugwu, (Pumpkin). You cannot believe that today if you bring a 40-feet container full of Ugwu, it will go on a daily basis. That is one of the high products out of Nigeria. The list goes on; Ugwu is there, bitter leaf is there, sweet potato, ginger, and garlic.

    How do you preserve them for export?

    We don’t preserve them, ours is transportation. We have experts who  do that. For example, ours is to take it from Nigeria to Europe. They get it fresh. If you go to SAHCOL, which is our processing centre, I can proudly tell you that today SAHCOL built first class world standard warehouse. And the cold room they have there today is only ABX world that is making use of it because of the dimension we are taking Nigeria to.

    Preservation is not our goal; our goal is logistics, bring in supply chain, get the farmers, put them together to be trained and certified.

    We all know today that brown beans is banned from Nigeria, you can’t take it into Europe because of the chemical used in preservation. Then in terms of cassava peel, nothing out of cassava is a waste, including the peel. If you bring 100 container of cassava peel, it will go the same day from Nigeria.

    Crude oil prices are failing and one of its spiral effects is the huge cut in revenue accruing to the government. How did we get to this stage?

    Fundamentally, as a government and a people we got it all wrong many years and decades ago when we solely depended on crude oil export as the mainstay of the economy. No reasonable government or a nation will do that considering that it would have attendant effects on her economy. Now, the reality has hit us economically and we are running around. It is time to stop complaining and strategise to move ahead. It is time government launched a serious return to the land campaign, by that I mean agriculture. That is why our firm is interested in the promotion of cargo and agro allied export.

    How does your cargo freighting and handling firm fit into this?

    My goal here is to bring Nigeria back to where we are supposed to be. To stimulate the promotion of cargo and agro allied export. It was a very painful task and journey; it has taken a lot of time and hard work, but the bottom line is that we are here now in Nigeria. In ABX world, our goal is to champion agro airline in Nigeria to create a revolution. Agro Allied has to do with agricultural products, in conjunction with transportation and logistics, mostly in aviation.

    Why did it take us this long to realise we have to go back to agro allied and cargo export promotion?

    You know the price of crude oil in the market today. Nigeria is one dimension economy, mono-economy, crude oil and import, that is it. God wants to redirect Nigeria. That is why we are now facing the issue of crude oil and falling price by the day. People like me will say let the crude oil be zero, one dollar per barrel because that will wake us up from the slumber.

    For Nigeria to balance its budget, crude oil has to be sold at a higher price per barrel. How do we make up for the difference?

    We have no choice than to go back to basics, which is agriculture. At ABX World, we have partners in Europe, around the world, we are here to make a difference, create agricultural revolution whereby we take agricultural products as long as they meet the international standard and requirements to the world.

    What strategies do you have in place to achieve good marketing of Nigerian products in Europe and other continents?

    First of all we have to engage a lot of supply chains around the world, especially in Europe because about 60 per cent of what is going out of Nigeria will target the market in Europe. What we do is to engage a lot of supply chain, bring in the supply chain, then try and liaise with the government, both state and federal and get the farmers, through their co-operative societies because most of these farmers have to be fully registered through their co-operative societies. And these farmers have to be trained on the dos and the don’ts involved in what they are into. When you bring in the farmers, you bring in the co-operative societies, then you put both of them together to be trained and certified to be able to supply the products they are into. Once you get certified you can be guaranteed about three years contract. So there is a need for the training and certification, which is the most basic.

    What is your take on efforts by the government to construct 13 cargo airport terminals across the country?

    There are some airports designated as cargo airports in Nigeria, but to me I will call that blue-sky project. What I mean by blue-sky project is that it will never work. I had some meeting with FAAN officials about two, three times in the past months and I gave them reasons why it will never work. Part of the reasons is that the projects were poorly conceptualised. The world is changing. Most of the aircraft manufacturers are changing their direction. There will be a time you will not have a cargo airline because of the new trend in technology in aircraft manufacturing. For example, Emirate is taking the lead in this direction. Some time ago Emirate ordered for a hundred and fifty Boeing 777-300ER. This aircraft takes over 400 passengers, takes their luggage plus their excess and still have the capacity to carry 30 tonnes of cargo on two engines. If you designate 13 airports in Nigeria as cargo airports, then you have to ask yourself if it is viable for cargo airline to fly there. The world is changing so much so that most of the passenger terminals have to be the cargo terminals because most of these agricultural produce have to be moved on daily basis. When you harvest them they are moved immediately to their destination within 18 hours. You cannot tell me you load a British Airways with full passengers then you tell them to stop at Enugu to carry five tons of cargo because Enugu is designated as cargo terminal. It does not make any sense.

  • Cargo village coming in Enugu

    Cargo village coming in Enugu

    Enugu State is gradually shedding its civil service status and becoming a business-friendly environment, thanks in part to the upgrade of the Akanu Ibiam Airport to an international status.

    An estate developing firm has mapped out a stretch of land where the East Gate Enugu Airport City will be built just beside the airport.

    Add that to the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) saying it will develop a cargo village by the airport too.

    The National President of NAGAFF, Dr. Eugene Nweke has visited Enugu for an on-the-spot inspection and assessment of the site.

    He was taken round the project by the Representative of the Corporation, Mr. Daniel Kalu, the NAGAFF Enugu State Chapter chairman, Comrade Sunny Okonkwo and the Project Legal Consultant who is also the Secretary of NAGAFF Enugu Chapter Mr Chinedum Agwaramgbo.

    According to the NAGAFF President, the proposed NAGAFF Cargo Village is to be fashioned after a similar one in Malaysia, and to get a clearer picture of the Malaysia model a delegation comprising officials of NAGAFF, representatives of the Enugu State Government, and of the investor, NECI Land Development Corporation Limited as well as other 27 business venture companies including the banks would visit the Asian country in October.

    Nweke intimated that NAGAFF seems to be enjoying the goodwill and trust of all stakeholders involved in the Project and all hands will soon be on the deck to make the project a reality.

    Nweke added that the cargo village when completed would boost and further simplify the process of cargo clearing in the country and help in removing the congestion at the Lagos ports and entry points as importers, exporters and freight forwarders will be happy to divert their cargoes to the Akanu Ibiam International Airport.

    The proposed cargo village is part of bigger project which has the potentials of creating a wide range of business opportunities in Enugu State and the entire South East geo0political zone.

    It would encompass the establishment of key investment component such as air cargo terminal logistics hub, high industrial zone, duty-free and export zone and commercial and residential real estate.

    The Enugu State government has indicated interest in the project. The governor, Ifeanyi Uguwanyi recently visited the site of the proposed East-Gate Enugu Airport City Development project where he expressed delight in the proposals.

  • Customs promise Niger Republic easy cargo transit across borders

    Customs promise Niger Republic easy cargo transit across borders

    The Comptroller General of Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Mr Abdullahi Dikko, has promised the Republic of Niger easy transit of cargoes to facilitate trade between Nigeria and Niger.

    Dikko, represented by Mr Kohn Atte, the Deputy Comptroller-General (Finance Administration and Technical Services),  made the promise when a delegation of the Nigerian Shippers Council and Nigeria-Niger Joint Commission paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja yesterday.

    He said the main responsibility of Customs was to facilitate trade and ensure that goods moved easily across borders.

    Dikko said most challenges faced by Niger in terms of delay of movement of cargo and issues at the various border posts would be resolved.

    ” The customs have tried to see that we ease off the system so that goods can move faster. With the help of Shippers Council the system has been decentralised and capacity built.

    “We have officers that are well trained to lead cargoes to the next environment; we have also noted the two-week delay or more at the borders.

    “In conjunction with Shippers Council, we will look into the matters and make sure that those complaints are eliminated,” he said.

    According to him, Customs have mandate to move cargo quickly out of the ports within 48 hours.

    He said the arrangement had given a good image for the service and promised that improvements would be made on the operations.

    The Comptroller-General said NCS would collaborate with Shippers Council and the ministries of transport of both countries as well as Niger Republic Customs to ensure smooth border operations.

    Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport of Niger, Mr Alguima Abdoulaye, expressed appreciation to NCS for the audience given to them.

    He said he believed the two countries were one, but noted that with difficulties Nigeriens faced in moving goods through Nigerian borders, they preferred to go to more distant countries to ferry cargo.

    Abdoulaye acknowledged improvements in services at Nigeria’s borders with Niger, but expressed the hope that areas of conflict between both countries Customs Services would be resolved to ease cargo movement.

  • How to achieve 48-hour cargo clearance, by Shippers Council

    The Nigerian Shippers’ Coun-cil (NSC) is set to enforce the  48-hour clearance of goods at the ports to make them competitive, its Secretary, Mr. Hassan Bello, has said.

    The Council, he said, believes that the ports lost their comparative advantage to ports of neighbouring countries because of bureaucratic bottleneck.

    “NSC is not happy with the clearing procedures and the inability to achieve the 48-hour cargo clearance,” he said, adding that he may adopt measures that will fast-track cargo clearance from any terminal to boost trading at the ports, adding that he could resort to automation to reduce human contact in cargo clearance.

    The council’s ultimate aim is to provide platforms for cargo clearance so that the ports can meet international standard, Bello said, urging stakeholders to support his organisation in finding a solution to the problem.

    He said: “The idea is that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council is the referee in this friendly context, and the more we interact with the service providers and government agencies, the better understanding we will get on quick cargo clearance.

    “We need automation in every port instead of doing many things manually. We need to streamline these processes and develop standard operating procedures, and check the presence of government agencies at the ports on what they are doing and the Customs to also up their game in automation.’’

    Bello what on: “They have led the way but we need other stakeholders to come and buy in. Importers need to make genuine declaration of their goods to help the process and the clearing agents too must pay the actual duty to reduce the time. So, we are doing a lot of consultation while we supervise and moderate. Customs has been leading in so many areas of what our ultimate aim is – which is automation, providing platforms for cargo clearance so that our ports will become efficient. The trade facilitation issue they have pioneered is something very commendable and it is a starting point as far as we are concerned.”

    He spoke of the need to streamline cargo clearance procedures and ensure that the ports can compete with others in West and Central Africa.

    “Nigerian ports are in competition with other ports within the sub-region, so we have to streamline our clearance procedures – the way we do business – so that we attract more cargoes to Nigerian ports,” he said.

    “We need to develop standard operating procedures. We need to check the presence of government agencies in the ports on what they are doing and what they must not do to boost trade,” Bello added.

     

  • African airlines, others record growth in cargo, passenger traffic

    The global air transport report has revealed that African airlines have recorded a growth of 4.9 per cent, which reversed the yearly contraction experienced in June, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

    IATA Director-General/Chief Executive Officer,  Mr Tony Tyler, stated this at the weekend.

    He said passenger capacity rose up to 4.5 per cent, with load factor improving to 70.2 per cent.

    Currently, the biggest factor impacting international traffic demand in July , according to Tyler is the slowdown of the South African economy, coupled with the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which intensified towards the end of July, the impact of which was affected the industry since last month.

    Also, with the released data for global airfreight markets have showed a strong increase in air cargo in July. Compared to July 2013, freight tonne kilometers (FTKs) that rose to 5.8 per cent.

    To IATA, it was acceleration in growth from June when cargo demand grew at less than half that rate of 2.4 per cent.

    Global air cargo volumes have now surpassed their previous July peak, in 2010, and look set to continue to increase.

    “In particular, the 7.1 per cent growth reported by airlines in Asia-Pacific is encouraging as it demonstrates a recovery in trade and a positive response to China’s economic stimulus measures,” Tyler said .

    He continued: “Airlines reported growth in July, which is a positive story for the global economy. Robust economic conditions support the expansion of travel. In turn connectivity stimulates economic growth and creates jobs. It’s a tried and tested virtuous circle. And the expectation is for continued solid growth over the remainder of 2014.

    “We cannot ignore, however, the risks that could de-rail this trajectory. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa, weakness in the Eurozone, hostilities in Eastern Ukraine and instability in the Middle East loom large. Airlines are on track to record a profit of some $18 billion this year. But that is a net profit margin of just 2.4 per cent, which does not provide much of a buffer. So it is critical that governments shore-up connectivity with business friendly policies based on reasonable taxation, cost-efficient infrastructure and smart regulation.’’

    Tyler added: “July was another strong month of growth for air travel. People are connecting by air in ever-greater numbers. That’s true across all regions. Despite the various economic challenges, the outlook for passenger travel remains broadly positive. The overall sluggishness at the beginning of the year appears to be behind us with growth in China and other emerging economies offsetting recent deterioration in the Eurozone.”

  • Imo Cargo Airport ready soon

    Imo Cargo Airport ready soon

    Plans by the Federal Government to make Sam Mbakwe International Airport in Owerri, Imo State, a cargo gateway will soon be realised, the Airport Manager, Mr Young Ekwekwuo has said.

    He said the cargo apron of the airport under construction will be completed before the end of this year.

    He, however, added that disruptions caused by youths seeking financial rewards have been resolved.

    “The elders have appointed elder statesmen to mediate and since then, the hostilities from the youth is a thing of the past. We now have the enabling environment; the contractors handling the project are no longer being disturbed,” he added.

    He said it had been a challenge managing the airport, especially that of the youth restiveness on land compensation, but expressed delight with the way the matter was handled.

    Ekwekwuo said the airport has been fenced to ward off intruders, adding that security measures have been put in place to ensure safety.

    On the projection of the airport, he explained that after the inauguration that the sky would be the limit because the airport has been fitted with the state-of-the-art equipment.

    “At the beginning, there were challenges and Nigerians never believed that this thing will get to this stage. Those of them who spoke against the remodeling now have a rethink. They never knew that such a terminal building can be reformed, remodeled and reconstructed to what it is today,” Ekwekwuo, said.

  • ‘Don’t be involved in cargo clearance’

    The Assistant Inspector-General of Police Zone 2, Alhaji Mamman Tsafe, has directed police officers in his zone to desist from interferring in cargo clearance at the ports.

    Tsafe, who gave the directive during a meeting with the Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs Zone A Victor Gbemudu and stakeholders in Lagos, said he has directed the Commissioners of the Lagos State Police Command and the Port Authority Police Command to restrain their officers from harassing customs agents in and around the ports.

    The police boss, who was responding to complaints of incessant harassment of agents by policemen, pleaded that grievances of the agents be documented and forwarded to his office while copies should be sent to the Inspector-General of Police, Comptroller-General of Customs and the Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs Zone A for action.

    Some senior police officers, who attended the meeting, complained of being maltreated by port users prompting the police officers’aggressive reaction.

    Stakeholders at the meeting include the National President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu; founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr Boniface Aniebonam; Chairman, ANLCA Tin Can Chapter, Kayode Collins Farinto and Secretary, ANLCA Apapa Chapter, Olumide Fakanlu, among others.