National Association of Nigerian Student (NANS) and the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) have agreed to collaborate for the liberation of freight forwarders from Customs licensing regulations as a tool to liberate students from unemployment.
The founder of the association Dr. Boniface Aniebonam stated this during his goodwill message at the presentation of National Outstanding Leadership Awards 2015 by NANS to Dr. Eugene Nweke the National President of NAGAFF in recognition of his philanthropic contribution to the society, at NAGAFF Village.
According to him, “The laws of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) which bases issuing of Customs licenses to corporate organizations rather than to individuals have given a loophole for foreigners to cash into a trade that ordinarily should be reserved for Nigerians since the owners of the these licenses cannot be easily ascertained except through a law court.
“Therefore, we have to work together to set aside this fraudulent process of the licensing regulations of Customs because freight forwarding can give jobs to more than 20,000 graduates, so that students can be liberated and after graduation students will cease to be unemployed since the Nigerian ports, as the gateway of the economy can provide enough jobs for Nigerian youths.” He emphasized.
He advised the association to desist from telling awardees in public that their awards could be withdrawn from them if they are found wanting of the ideals for which they are being given an award, as was done in the case of Nweke, this he said can be considered as a threat by the recipient who might decide at the last minute to reject the award, rather they should do the needful if it becomes necessary.
In his response to the award, Nweke urged the students to see life as a centre of impartation of knowledge and to take advantage of NAGAFF as a centre for training of freight forwarders to identify with the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) rather than wait for the government to provide jobs for them. Adding that the award will spur him to do more and on behalf of NAGAFF and himself he gave N300,000 to the NANS Endowment Fund.
In his words, “life is an institute of continuous learning we must have a political channel of communicating to the government in our struggle for liberation, if not ideas that will make a difference will be thrown down the drain for lack of a proper channel to get it to the decision makers. NAGAFF is a revolutionist association but we do not use guns, we follow other diplomatic channels.”
In a separate address, the National President of NANS Comrade Tijani Usman represented by the Country Representative Comrade Kayode Okeowo said, “The NANS leadership yearly awards is dedicated to the development and growth of the society. After series of voting Nweke won the nomination for NANS leadership award and Icon of societal Transformation, as commander of Nigerian students he is a 5 Star General and a frontline ambassador of Nigerian students.”
Responding to the collaboration with NAGAFF, he said, “I intend to raise the issue for discussion at the next senate meeting coming up next week, so that students can key into the initiative.
