Lagos, Aug. 10, 2023: The Association of Igbo Maritime Practisioners in Nigeria (ASSIMPIN), on Wednesday said the ongoing membership biometric capturing was to identify genuine practitioners ahead of its election.
The executive members of the maritime pressure group, made the clarification at a news conference in Lagos that the identification was to ensure that non-members do not participate in the association’s activities.
The apex Igbo maritime body has been in the forefront of instilling professional ethics among freight forwarders and harmonious working relationship with port officials.
Addressing newsmen, ASSIMPIN National Publicity Secretary, Dr Obicee Okonkwo, said that the conference was to disabuse the misconceptions on the biometric capturing.
Speaking on the subsisting rancour within the ranks of maritime body, Okonkwo said genuine members belong to various chapters that make up the national body.
According to him, the identification exercise will curb the hiring of non-members by candidates contesting various positions to vote during election.
“What was witnessed at previous election where traders from Oshodi and other markets were contracted to participate.
“The association’s constitution does not recognise what some people call “Elders Forum” therefore such do not exist in the body.
“Members should dissociate themselves from such utopian contraction and go ahead with the biometric at their chapters to legitimate their membership for a seamless management,” he said.
He said that the leadership of the body led by Mr Eze Obianigwe was not a hush affair as the executive members were duly constituted, hence the need for election at the chapters to strengthen the body.
Also speaking, the Senior Special Adviser to the association’s President-General, Mr Emeka Nwosu, said that people may feign ignorance of the biometric capturing but the process was ongoing in the chapters.
Secretary of the association, Mr Okey Egbuchulam, said that ASSIMPIN must identify a member of the association, before the body’s Election Committee would soon be inaugurated to midwife the election that would bring in new executives to run the body.
The secretary said that ASIMPIN election was a collegiate which empowers only chapters’ executives to vote during the election of people into the national executive.
The outgoing executives advised members to do the biometrics, pick-up forms for elective offices, campaign and then stand to be elected into the different offices.
