Wale Cole’s POC Foundation Gains Momentum, Sets to Establish Sickbay At Tin Can Port

By DAPO OLAWUNI

The Prince Olawale Cole (POC) Foundation owned by the Chairman of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) at Tin Can Port chapter, Prince Olawale Cole has revealed plans to establish a sickbay at the Tin Can Port where practicing customs brokers and other port users can benefit quality health care.

Prince Wale Cole during his Chairmanship campaign at the Tin Can Island Port in January 2025 launched the POC Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, purposely to render help to the needy and less privileged.

In a chat with DAILY TREND on Thursday, Prince Cole revealed that since its official launch, the POC foundation has obtained over 100 free JAMB forms for secondary school leaving pupils, even as its set to do sama for the NECO examinations.

Speaking with our correspondent, Prince Cole said the vision of the POC foundation didn’t just start yesterday, saying that it has been on for several years.

“I started it over 12-years, it was not a vision for my Chairmanship, it is a passion that I have and I felt I should extend it to my members.

“Most times, for one reason or the other, ANLCA has not been able to take care of their members properly, and I felt if one or two of us have opportunities to do this, we should be able to support our association. The essence of associating with ourselves is for less privileged members to have opportunities.

“I was able sustain the passion to the level of creating a foundation, these are things that speak for me among my colleagues.

“For sustainability of POC is not a problem, expanding the foundation to all sectors of the maritime sector is the challenge, so that everyone can benefit. This is where we need local partners and international supports.

“In the next weeks, our sick bay is coming up, in my manifesto, I promised our members health care, and the best thing I can do is to have POC foundation take care of this, that is why the two have to work together. All things being equal, the sick bay should be ready soon” he said

Also speaking with our correspondent, Coordinator of the POC Foundation, Mrs Olanrewaju Aderonke said the foundation is in need of local and international support, so as to extend to all sectors of the maritime industry.

Speaking, Mrs Aderonke said “The POC maritime foundation has been our Chairman’s initiative long before now, he has been supporting people underground.

“Recently we launched the foundation and people showed interest in supporting us.
So far so good, we have helped a lot of people, people from the maritime industry and even the people on the streets that we don’t know.

“We have equally given out more than 100 free JAMB forms to students lately, and we have also been to the hospitals to take care of those in need.

“Every year, POC foundation has been dishing out food items to people and rendering supports.

“The JAMB forms were given to members, some of the widows, their children were given opportunities, yearly we give them food items, and every week, our Chairman gives out money and recharge cards to the needy.

“Health wise, we have our plans, we are planning a sickbay at Tin Can Port. The POC didn’t start yesterday, we just decided to launch it during his campaign.

“We have been registered as an NGO with federal government through Cooperate Affairs Commission, and we are making efforts to get international supports and local agencies support”