Nwabunike pledges to work for  welfare of freight forwarders

The National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Hon. Tony Iju Nwabunike has promised that his administration will engage the federal government on integrating freight forwarders and customs brokers  into government interventionist financial programmes and support initiatives.

He gave this assurance in his goodwill message to customs brokers, freight forwarders and supply chain practitioners on Nigeria’s independence held on Thursday.

Nwabunike regretted that such programmes have not been designed for the players in freight forwarding and logistics sector.

He added that aside not being included in the programme, the governmemt did not offer them a single digit loan tailored towards procuring trucks, maintaining warehouses, investing in logistics aided technology like tracking devises and fleet of motorcycles for E-commerce, among others.

He however promised to use his office as the president of the oldest freight forwarding group to engage the government to ensure such provisions for operators in the subsector.

His words, “We have heard and seen Federal Government interventions through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Bank of Industry (BoI) to private sector businesses, improving on their viability and sustainability.

“No such programme has been designed for us in the freight forwarding and logistics sector of our economy.

“Aside not getting any form of palliative from government, there is no offer of single digit loan by government tailored towards our needs in procuring trucks, maintaining warehouses, investing in logistics aided technology like tracking devises and fleet of motorcycles for E-commerce transactions in a state of difficult traffic situation as what we experience in Lagos.

“We call on the Federal Ministries of Finance, Transport, Trade and Industry, CBN, NCS and others to see us as professionals deserving of state support, not only as potential tax payers because the likely quake or collapse of our sector will adversely affect the country.

“ANLCA under my watch, will open talks with government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to see how our sub sector can be integrated into government interventionist financial programmes and support initiatives.

“We are a great country with very copious potentials to be greater. This 60th anniversary of Nigeria’s Independence should spur us into more positive actions for greater good of larger number of our fellow compatriots.

“Let us join hands in ensuring that the labour of our past heroes in bringing us together doesn’t go in vain.