‘I’m no longer under siege, owe nobody apology,’ – Increase Uche speaks on sack by NAGAFF

A former President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Chief Increase Uche, has declared that he is no longer under siege by the leadership of the association as he is now a completely ‘free man’.

Increase, who spoke with journalists last week for the first time since his expulsion and declaration as persona non grata by the NAGAFF leadership over refusal to drop his ambition of contesting election into Governing Council of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) said he owes no one an apology as he never offended anyone in the association.

While condemning the overbearing authority imposed on members of the association by the Founder of NAGAFF, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, Increase said he was never given the opportunity to exercise his powers as President, noting that there is need to liberate the association.

“It appears I have been keeping quiet and my name is being ridiculed in the system. I take exception to that. Somebody should mind his business. I am not owing anybody and I have not offended anybody in the industry. I am on my own. I have simply said I want to aspire to the apex of my profession. Is that a crime? You are not paying my bills. Even your own son, there is a limit you can control him.

“There should be liberation, let them liberate the system. People are still being caged. As I speak with you now, I am talking as a free man. I am no longer under siege but before now, as of the time I was assumed to be the President of NAGAFF, I was not given the opportunity to exercise my power but now they should allow me to be. You can’t beat somebody and say he shouldn’t cry. I didn’t offend anybody. Eugene Nweke went back to apologise; he knows the crime he committed but for me they are supposed to apologise because the law of natural justice will take its course,” he said.

Speaking on the CRFFN Governing Council election, Increase, who declares that he is currently the President of the Independent Candidates contesting CRFFN maintained that the 6:6:1:1:1 sharing formula being propagated by some of the associations particularly NAGAFF and the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) is fraudulent and would deprive credible professionals the opportunity to be in the governing board.

He added that most of the candidates who represent the associations on the board  during the past governing council and yet are being seconded to return to the Council made no meaningful contribution to the board.

“On the CRFFN election, we are waiting for the minister and any moment from now, anything can happen. We have over 17 independent candidates. We are advocates of transparency, free and fair elections. The 6:6:1: 1:1 sharing formula that some people are ganging up to do is not obtainable, it is fraudulent.

“The whole decision-making stops at the minister’s table. If people can come together and say they want to do 6:6:1: 1:1 and insist on achieving it, then the minister under section 5 of the Council Act has more power to do that.

“He can appoint, he can even create an interim board that will come in and reform the entire system because we know CRFFN is having issues and we need technocrats. You don’t just bring any other person to the board; the board is meant for policy making, not for every Tom, Dick and Harry. The board that just expired, we know the contribution of every other person, some of them cannot even talk because they don’t know what to say and these are the same set of persons being seconded again to go back there,” he said.