By Omenihu Alfred fibmn
Conception they say is the father of achievement. From the credo, his thirst for Excellence in all things and at all times has remained unchanged. Every teacher of truth can attest to the truism that to give true service to humanity, you must have something that cannot be bought with money which is sincererity and integrity. From every ramifications, these lconic axioms best mirror the courageous man of valour, Otunba, Alhaji Abdulazeez, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Mickey Excellence Nigeria Limited, licensed by the Nigeria Customs Service since the year 2000.
As a practitioner, he started his career as a freight forwarder in the year 1988 having worked in different capacity with several Licensed Custom brokers’ companies as Abass Integrated Service Nigeria Limited, Rastoy Nigeria Limited, NTee Nigeria Limited, Folorunsho Multiventures Investment Limited, Halifax Nigeria Limited to mentioned but a few before floating his own company. The company in the year 1999 with core service as a freight forwarder and Licensed by the Nigerian Customs service to carry out Custom brokerage services (Clearing and forwarding services) in Nigeria in the year 2000. As a matter of emphasis, the strive of men and women of this nature are often told so that people will imbibe the culture of hard work, perseverance and commitment to excel knowing fully well that the best way to succeed is to follow the footsteps of those who have journeyed successfully before one. Again, the future does not just happen to us, it is we who make tomorrow what it will becone.
This man of the moment, Otunba, Alhaji Abdulazeez, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Mickey Excellence Nigeria Limited, has paid his right dues and shown himself worthy as a pace-setter. As far as ANLCA is concerned, he might just have few equals in leadership service. Reacting to questions relating to his contributions as a member of ANLCA, in an exclusive Interview, he took us memory lane far as 2009. ” My contribution in ANLCA started way back 2009, when I became the general Secretary of Apapa chapter. After that I became chairman, Association electoral commission early 2010 till 2017. As a matter of fact, I hold the record of the longest serving Chairman of that Committee. And through out that seven years, ANLCA was known for due diligence and process because the committee members are egg heads and profoundly passionate. It was during this time that I was able to create a data base for ANLCA which gave rise to biometric registration. This effort was applauded by the government of the day then, hence the president, Prince Shittu encouraged the effort and as at today, and at a snap of your finger, you can tell who is a member and who is not and their respective chapters. Don’t forget that the constitution under registration stated that an applicant shall be sponsored at least by two financial members at the chapter level. So that if anything is happening anywhere, the association will know whom to talk to. I can equally note that during my tenure as ASECO chairman no election was denied and I give it to the members of my Committee then.”
” Then by 2018, I ran for the post of National secretary and emerged unopposed at Enugu election. I served under President Anthony Nwabunike Iju. Toward the end of our tenure in 2023, I was nominated as the sole administrator pending when the new executives will energe. I served in that capacity from April to September last year when a new executives under the leadership of Chief Emenike who contested against Dr Farinto emerged. After handing over to the new executives, I returned to my office. But as fate will have it I got a letter of appointment from Chief Emenike to serve as the chairman of international relations and biometric. I accepted the offer”.
Naturally, the dividends for hard work is more work and you can agree with me that such men as this will always sacrifice for the common good of the Association. Revealing why he wants to join the board, the integrity driven Maritime guru and spirit filled leader said, “I can tell you that there are frictions between the governance arm and the board of trustees who are supposed hold in trust the properties of ANLCA and interest of the associattion in line with the constitution. So we have a situation under section 6 of the constitution where the president and his executives are empowered to be in charge of the day to day running of the associattion but we now have a situation where the board of trustees dictate what happens and what will not happen even as the constitution spelt out clearly the functions of every department. If a president says a thing, the trustees will counter same. The trustees are supposed to be shock absorbers of the Association. It was upon realizing this that, i told myself that my job is not done yet. Hence, am going to the board of trustees to help re-orient their minds in line with constitutional provision” he concluded.
