From left: Pioneer National President of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents ANLCA and President Nigerian Supporters’ Club, Dr. Rafiu Ladipo receives plaque from incumbent National President, Hon. Iju Tony Nwabuinke during a visit to the association in Lagos, Wednesday.

The Nigerian Supporters’ Club is putting finishing touches to plans to induct the National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents ANLCA, Hon. Iju Nwabunike as a Patron of the association in recognition of his contribution to the growth and development of the Nigerian nation.

President of the club, Dr. Rafiu Ladipo, who paid a courtesy visit to the association at its Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos headquarters to felicitate with the leadership of the association, commended the current leadership for steering the wheel of progress of the freight forwarding profession in particular and the maritime industry in general.

Dr. Ladipo, who was the pioneer President of ANLCA, disclosed that he came to identify with the new leadership of the association, which came to power barely one year ago, saying that freight forwarding remains the noblest profession in the world and that practitioners should see themselves as noble people.

“As a freight forwarder or licensed Customs Agent then, we were well respected because people saw us as very noble people. You collect a bill of lading and money from a shipper, and you are entrusted with the responsibility to arrange the delivery and pay the import duty, the other associated fees and levies and also pay the transport people and ensure that the consignment is delivered to the warehouse of the owner safe and secure, are you not noble?”, he questioned rhetorically.

He however regretted that some corrupt elements have infiltrated this noble profession in the last few years thus giving other practitioners a bad name, a development he said must be addressed by the current leadership of the association by identifying them and removing them from the fold so that the profession would reclaim its lost glory.

He also charged the leadership to find time to organise a forum that would provide the platform to sensitise members of the profession on the need to shun all forms of vices and corruption in the course of doing their business so that they would regain public respect and confidence once again.

From left: Coordinator, Western Zone of ANLCA, Dr. John Ofobike, National Vice President, Dr. Kayode Farinto, Pioneer President, Dr. Rafiu Ladipo, National Secretary, Alhaji Mukaila Azeez and incumbent National President, Hon. Iju Tony Nwabunike during the visit of the Pioneer to the association in Lagos, Wednesday.
 

Hon. Nwabunike had while welcoming the former leader, commended him for standing behind the association during its trying times, saying that the leadership under his watch would do everything possible to observe and preserve  the ethos of the profession.

While thanking the pioneer president for finding time to felicitate with the association, he said that his visit was a homecoming, insisting that he could not be described as a visitor to his own house.

On ground to receive the former president in addition to the incumbent were the National Vice President, Dr. Kayode Farinto, National Secretary, Alhaji Mukaila Azeez and Coordinator, Western Zone of the association, John Ofobike, among several others.

A high point of the visit was the presentation of plaque to the former National President by the incumbent as a mark of honour and appreciation for the visit.