Continued stay in office by CRFFN members is illegal—-Freight forwarder

Members of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) have been accused of manipulating the Act establishing the Council to suit their elongating their tenure in office.

Chidi Anthony Opara, a former Secretary of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders in Nigeria (AREFFN) dropped the hint in a chat with our correspondent, yesterday.

He said the tenure of the present Council members members has elapsed  since October, 2020 since they were  inaugurated by the Minister of Transportation, Him. Rotimi Amaechi in October, 2018.

According to him,any action taken by the Council members after October 2020 is illegal and nullity.

In a short piece titled: CRFFN Governing Council Enabling Act and The Mischievous Misinterpretation, he stated that the sit tight syndrome of Nigerian leaders has hit the Governing Council.

Okpara, a former member of CRFFN’s Freight Forwarders Consultative Forum said the Council members have resorted to mischievous misinterpretation of Act 16 of 2007, accusing them of   erroneously claiming that the act  stipulates a two-year tenure for the appointees and a four-year tenure for the elected members of the Council.

According to him, the Act stipulates same tenure of two year term for both elected members and appointees.

“The Nigerian sit tight syndrome that is prevalent amongst public office holders has hit the Governing Council of the Council For The Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).

“Some of the Governing Council members have as a result, resorted to mischevious misinterpretation of the establishing Act (Act 16 of 2007).

“They erroneously claim that the act  stipulated a two-year tenure for the appointees and a four-year tenure for the elected members of the Council.

“The act under reference, established a Governing Council made up of 17 appointed and 15 elected persons as members of the Council.  The act provides also a two-year tenure which commences on inuguration by the Minister of Transportation.

“The above means that the Council is one indivisible entity and operates that way. Bearing in mind this imperative,  one is at a loss regarding this sudden irrationality of different tenures for members of one organization.

“There is no where in the act in which it is stated that there would be different tenures for the elected and the appointed members. It is clearly stated in the Act that the tenure of the Governing Council members for every session is two years.

“”The current session of the Governing Council was inaugurated by the Minister of Transportation in October 2018 for a two-year tenure. This means that the tenure has elapsed,  so any actions, etc taken by the current session of CRFFN Governing Council will be considered null and void and to no effect”, the freight forwarder observed.