At Freight Forwarders day, NAGAFF laments non passage of maritime bills at National Assembly

ZION Olalekan

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has called for speedy passage of maritime sector bills before the 8th National Assembly, saying that non-passage of the bills into law was hindering efficiency in maritime industry.

National President of NAGAFF, Increase Uche stated this at the Freight Forwarders Day celebration in Lagos hosted by the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

Increase said the event was also to celebrate the official retirement of the founder of NAGAFF, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam from NAGAFF active politics.

The NAGAFF president also lamented that the non-enforcement of the Act establishing the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) and the gap created by the absence of the board for almost six years was one of the major challenges in the industry.

He also said that issues bordering on poor funding and incentives had limited the development of the freight forwarding sub sector particularly young enterprising professionals.

According to him, lack of full automation of the clearance process and various uncertainties created by territorialism and system manipulations also poses a threat to the industry.

On his part, Dr. Aniebonam who also doubles as the founder of NNPP and its current Chairman said he was bowing out of NAGAFF to allow the younger generations take over.

He however assured that he was not retiring into active politics as being speculated in some quarters.

Speaking, Aniebonam said “After twenty years of working on this side and the other side, I am tired, but today I feel fulfilled because of the members of NAGAFF that are in the CRFFN”.

Aniebonam had founded NAGAFF in year 1999 after pulling out of Association of Nigeria Customs Agents (ANLCA)

He assured that he would equally be resigning from the NNPP by 2020, saying that the party and NAGAFF have come of age and its members are capable of taking care of themselves at this stage.

At the event which witnessed a large turnout of maritime industry stakeholders, Chairman Governing Board of CRFFN, Alhaji Tsanni Abubakar was father of the day. He promised the gathered freight forwarders that the CRFFN under his watch will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the challenges confronting practitioners are resolved