Odita Sunday 
NAGAFF Appeals to CGC Adeniyi Over Eight Auctioned Buses Allocated to Academy
By Odita Sunday
The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has appealed to the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), CGC Adewale Adeniyi, to intervene in the delayed release of eight buses allocated to its academy through an auction process.
The founder of NAGAFF, Dr Boniface Aniebonam, made the appeal while expressing concern that the association had completed payment and other required processes for the vehicles but was yet to take physical possession of any of them.
Aniebonam said NAGAFF initially applied for 41 vehicles to support its various formations and chapters across the country but was eventually allocated eight buses.
According to him, the association accepted the allocation, made the necessary payments and completed the required documentation, only to discover that the vehicles could not be located at the ports when NAGAFF representatives went to take delivery.
He said the development had left the association in a difficult situation, with funds already committed to the auctioned vehicles.
“We applied for 41 vehicles, cutting across Chapters, Kebbi, Sokoto and all others. We were given eight. That eight, we paid, we processed, we got to the port, but we could not get to see even one physically,” he said.
The NAGAFF founder described the situation as an avoidable experience and called on the Customs leadership to investigate what happened to the vehicles and determine why the association had been unable to take delivery.
“Right now, we have paid and our money is stuck. If we knew, we wouldn’t have applied in the first instance and continue to struggle in our usual manner,” he said.
Aniebonam stressed that the buses were not intended for the personal use of NAGAFF officials or members, but were acquired to support the operations of the NAGAFF Academy.
He explained that the vehicles were expected to facilitate the transportation of students and lecturers, provide logistics for training programmes and support other activities of the academy.
He therefore urged CGC Adewale Adeniyi to personally look into the circumstances surrounding the delayed release and facilitate a resolution of the matter.
“NAGAFF and Customs are very close, responsible partners dated 1999. It is our hope and belief that CGC Adeniyi shall take interest personally to know what happened,” he said.
Aniebonam further linked the development of the NAGAFF Academy to the success of ongoing reforms within the Customs Service, stressing that education and professional training were critical to developing the capacity of young freight forwarders.
He argued that strengthening the academy would ultimately contribute to the effectiveness of the Customs Service and the wider maritime industry by producing better-trained freight forwarding professionals.
“If Adeniyi doesn’t participate to assist and educate these young freight forwarders, all his reforms may be like building a castle on a sheet of sand,” Dr Aniebonam said.
He urged the Customs management to urgently examine the circumstances surrounding the unavailability of the eight buses and work with relevant stakeholders to resolve the matter.
Aniebonam maintained that releasing the vehicles would enable NAGAFF to strengthen the academy’s logistics and training capacity while supporting the development of a new generation of competent freight forwarders.
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