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NAGAFF Petitions IGP Over Invasion Of Premises

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The National Association of Government Approved Freight
Forwarders {NAGAFF}has offer all to God in a thanks giving service to celebrate
God’s mercies upon them particular   in
the recent invasion of its complex by armed military men.

The Association ‘s members who gathered at its National
headquarters in Apapa Lagos for the service offered prayers to God to continue
to guide the Association, the maritime industry and Nigeria.

Commenting on the recent invasion by the armed military men
led by one Deputy Comptroller of Customs {Mrs.} Jayne Shoboiki who is said to
be the wife of a Major-General and a brigade commander in the Nigerian army,
the founder of the Association, Chief {Dr} Boniface Aniebonam said the
thanksgiving service has become necessary as God did not allow anything to
happen to him or any of NAGAFF members during the unfortunate incident.

According to him on that fateful day, he was following the
Convoy of soldiers until they stopped at NAGAFF village and invaded the place,
then he drove past them.

Aniebonam said, he is grateful to God that he was not in the
office when the invasion took place as he might have been a dead man.

He condemned the act, but said he still respects the
Nigerian armed forces.

He called on all NAGAFF members and well wishers to be calm
as investigations is on going and that justice will be done.

He absolved the military and the customs from any blame,
saying that privileged persons like the Deputy Comptroller and her Major
General husband want to show power.

It would be recalled that NAGAFF wrote a petition through
its solicitor Larry Okonkwo and Co dated August 1st, 2012 to the Inspector
General of Police, the Executive Secretary National Human Right commission and the
Comptroller General of Customs Service, captioned “complaint about the invasion
of the headquarter of NAGAFF”, a copy of which was made available to The
Tide  in Lagos. The petition read in
part, “however, our experience  on the
afternoon of Wednesday August  1st , 2012
is nothing to write home about and makes
nonsense of your efforts at upholding the fundamental human rights of
Nigerians and especially the rule of law policy of President  Goodluck
Jonathan’s administration” .

“On the said day 13 stern-looking heavily-armed soldiers,
stormed the headquarters of NAGAFF in two vehicles, white-coloured hilux
peugeot with Registration number EM165GGE and a black Lexus SUV with
Registration. number BU300RBC led by a serving customs officer, Deputy Comptroller
Jayne Shoboiki”.

Mrs. Shoboiki is married to a serving military officer Major
General J. O. Shoboiki who is said to be a brigade commander according to the
statement.

The invasion of the NAGAFF headquarters on the afternoon of
Wednesday 1st of August 2012 at about 2:15pm by the 13 uniformed soldiers whose
names could not be ascertained immediately and under the prompting of Mrs.
Jayne Shoboiki could only happen in a state of war, where a country is
attacking another with weapon and psychological warfare to intimidate the
opponent and not just a peace loving law, abiding, hapless association like
ours.

The petition further reads that, Mrs. Shoboiki who stood at
the entrance gate raving in anger, while the army of invasion kept ransacking
the village, kept shouting at the top of her voice that she would deal
mercilessly with Dr. Aniebonam and the top management of NAGAFF, claiming that
they had consistently accused her of corrupt
practices and self enrichment to the detriment of the government.

It could also be recalled that after the red eyed soldiers,
in combat mood, led by Mrs. Jayne Shoboiki who is in  charge
of the Customs  Intelligence Unit
{CIU} of the Nigeria  Custom Service,
Tincan Island Port Lagos invaded the NAGAFF village, the Inspector-General of
Police has in a letter dated 7th August, 2012, Ref
No:CB:7000/IGP.SEC/ABJ/VOL.98/830 directed the Lagos state police commissioner
CP Umar Manko to ensure that is no breach of the peace in Lagos State.

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NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

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The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure  and equipment  modernization drive  with the development of the welfare of its personnel.
Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the  clearing  of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.
A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying,  “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.
The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.
“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”
Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.
“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.
Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President  of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

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National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).
The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.
Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.
The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.
The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement 

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In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of  NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the  Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.
The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.
“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.
Chinedu Wosu
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