President of the Shippers’ Association of Lagos State (SALS), Mr Leo Ogamba, has dared the association’s Board of Trustees (BoT) to publish the offences he committed or any act warranting his alleged removal from office other than his push for due process concerning the N13 billion refund remitted to the association by shipping lines.
Ogamba further alleged that the BoT, which constitution since 2008 has been invalid, is being misguided on the expected N3 trillion Cargo Defence Fund.
Addressing the media recently in Lagos over the BoT’s general meeting of June 11, 2024 at which he was purportedly removed, Ogamba said he is not an “embattled president” by any stretch, having not violated or been charged with any violation of the constitution whatsoever.
According to Ogamba: “This BoT constituted themselves in 2008; nobody knew that they were in existence. The record of the status report of the association was invalid, but immediately they heard that I signed the first N13 billion, being the judgement sum between APM Terminals Ltd, Shippers’ Council and Registered Trustees of Shippers Association of Lagos State, they woke up from their slumber.
“Their understanding has been negatively influenced. They have no idea where that judgment sum would be paid in, thinking that the money, which is about N3 trillion, belongs to them on the ground that they are entitled to 60-70 percent of the money, with about 15 shipping companies involved.
“Cargo defence fund is limited by guarantee, meaning that even if you make N10 trillion profit, you cannot share it and accessing the fund is by subscription. I am sure that none of these people paid that money. It is the money that shipping companies and terminal operators collected but ought not to have collected.
“In the circumstance, for you to have locus, you have to show evidence that you paid that money as a shipper. When the publication was out asking shippers to submit their bill of laden, only two submitted.
“The Nigerian Shippers’ Council had to go extra mile to meet these shippers for these bills of laden, on the basis of which the money that are now paying was determined. Shippers Association of Lagos State represents the whole shippers in the country by virtue of that judgment.”
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