By Chinonye Anyatonwu.
It was a big honor for the outgoing ES, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Shippers Council(NSC), Barr. Hassan Bello, as stakeholders, media men and some prominent personalities in the maritime sector, clamour to celebrate and honor the big wig.
The event which took place at the Rock View Hotel, Apapa Lagos as the founder of Nagaff Dr Okechukwu Boniface Aniebonam invited stakeholders in the sector at the Banquet hall of the Rock view hotel where people from all walks of life gathered to give honor to whom honor is deserved.
In a welcome address presented by the President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, Chief Increase Uche (PhD) , described Barrister Bello as a noble gentle man who bestowed the maritime sector by initiating and enabling productivity and development to the industry, especially in harnessing the economic potentials of the Port sector.
He also stated some of Hassan’s achievement on his quick intervention in matters of trade, help to ensure agency stakeholders regular parley, also stopped unauthorized charges of service providers.
Dr. Kayode Farinto the Vice President of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents who represented his President, Chief Tony Iju Nwabunike said the man Hassan Bello deserved to be awarded a National honour award.
The Chairman of the NAGAFF board of trustees, Mazi Chidiebele Enelamah described Barrister Bello as a great man who never took his position personal and whose door was always open and who should be given a higher appointment as his service is still needed.
The Chief Editor of MMS magazine, Mr. Kingsley Anaroke in his goodwill message said ,
” I found in him a man whose strength and hostility influenced the Shippers members, i find in him a man who is restless to bring positive changes in his environment, making strategic turnaround of the agency”.
Mr. Bello was such a large hearted fellow that he followed up on letters and requests to the Council and treated them all as generously as he could.
He is blessed with a passion and he turns things around strategically, he was like a father figure.
The President of the Maritime Journalists Association on Nigeria, Mr. Ray Ugochukwu in his speech said that during the tenure of Mr. Bello, he was the only person that cares about the safety of the people that during Covid-19 Pandemic, he distributed face mask, sanitizers and some palliatives to journalist.
Shipping Association took the Council to court over the directive to refund some money and the Council won up up to the supreme court level where it is awaiting judgment.
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The chief host and the
Founder of NAGAFF, Dr. Boniface Okechekwu Aniebonam said that the right people to celebrate Hassan Bello should be Nigeria Shippers Council because without him, shippers council might not be where it is today, he wished that Mr. Bello’s parents were still alive to see how their son is being celebrated. He said that they are celebrating Hassan Bello because he understood that the real happiness in life rests in making others happy and he worked with that principle.
He went ahead to say that when he was bedridden, only Hassan Bello visited him, even those that he regarded as his best friend were nowhere to be found.
Dr Aniebonam appealed to the government to get Barr. Bello appointed into a higher office.
In response, Barr. Bello expressed his happiness towards the mass collaboration in the Shippers Council and stakeholders relationship , adding that “Shippers council is as old as stakeholders because without stakeholders, we cannot achieve whatever we achieved today, media is also one of the stakeholders because the media and Shippers Council have been in a very good relationship.
Several awards was presented to Barr. Hassan Bello by NAGAFF, as he was moved to almost shedding tears of joy.
In his vote of thanks, Barrister Bello recalled the close relationships that he enjoyed with the sectorial associations and other Government agencies. He reiterated the need for operations in the sector to be fully digitalized to reduce manual contacts and also opined that the collaboration between agencies of the government and the critical stakeholders should continue.
He thanked everyone including the press and urged them to continue to constructively criticize the agencies since the agencies only hold power in trust for the public.
Earlier in his short speech, the Chairman, Lagos state chapter of Nigeria Union of Journalist, Mr. Adeleye Ajayi called Barr. Bello a man with a large heart who has left a big footprint as the head of the council.
