The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (ARFFN), Barr. Metuselah Augustine Ejike, has tasked agencies, regulators to emulate customs and their leadership, saying that his group is poised to contribute its own quota to the corporate image of Nigeria.
Speaking at the monthly Media Roundtable of the Congress of Nigerian Maritime Media Practitioners (CONMMEP) held recently in Lagos, Barr. Metu delivered a thought provoking analysis on national issues and brought a unique perspective to the discussion.
According to Metu, AREFFN was founded in 2007, one of the registered groups under the Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarders in Nigeria (CRFFN), has its Chapters in the East, West and Northern parts of Nigeria, has been consistently tackling issues at the nation's borders and ports, called on regulatory agencies to live up to their statutory responsibilities.
Metu, a Nollywood veteran and erudite scholar, said he was recently called to the Nigerian Bar and was keen on speaking up on national issues to contribute his quota to national development.
Recounting his Law school experience, Barr. Metu said life was regimented and they were not allowed to do certain things".
Barr. Metu, Treasurer General of Umuoji Improvement Union, is not your run off the mill freight forwarder, and with copious proverbs from his rich Anambra state heritage, said the coming of the digital revolution has given him the ability to work seamlessly as a freight forwarder, lawyer and movie producer.
The AREFFN BoT Chairman commended the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, for his incredible work in reforming the Customs as he also commended the election of the CGC as the chairman of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Council.
He equally offered pragmatic views on the suspended use of code 846, advocating for a revisit of the decision to trade Facilitation.
Barr. Metu expressed concern on the influx of fake and Adulterated unwholesome products and called on government agencies to take decisive action to prevent the importation and distribution of such products, advised journalsists to expose the rot in the system.
On the spate of decamping in the polity by governors, Metu asked if the governors were decamping in the interest of the people or for selfish interests.
Reflecting on the current drive by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to wrest power from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027, Metu said the APC was a coalition that took power from the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in 2014, noting that the current ADC coalition is a force that should be watched closely.
A relentless advocate for Nigerian unity, said neo-colonialism had destroyed the essence of development in the country and urged Nigerians to do away with tribalism and sectionalism to forge a better country.
In his remarks, the President of CONMMEP, Udo Onyeka, thanked Barr. Metu for honouring the invitation and assured him of working relationship between CONMMEP and AREFFN.
Comrade Onyeka equally tasked them on genuine collaboration with government agencies to promote trade Facilitation, enhance revenue generation, as well as advocate for transparency and accountability in governance.
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