CRFFN denies purchase of vehicles for members.

Tayo Oladipupo |

The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has denied cars purchase for members of the governing board, saying only few heads of committees were given old vehicles used by previous administration.

There have been reports in some sections of the media that the Council showered a whooping N448 million on cars for the 32 members of the board.

But speaking with our correspondent in his office, a member of the board, Prince Bakare Adeyinka said the report was the imagination of the writer adding that nothing close to it ever happened.

Prince Adeyinka, who also doubles as President General of the National Air Freight Forwarders and Consolidators (NAFFAC), said the six vehicles given to strategic heads of some committees have been in existence since 2016.

He added that the vehicles were purchased some years ago to ease the jobs of the members as the council is set to commence its operations with vigour.

“It is untrue, it is purely a fallacy, it is an information that is not correct coming out from the imagination of that person.

“It is nowhere close to the truth or situation on ground. If you give the 32 members of the governing board of CRFFN Hilux Jeep, what are they doing with them?

“Don’t forget that some members of the board are staff of NPA, director in Shippers’ Council ,a director with the Ministry of Finance, a director with the Ministry of Transportation, what will they be doing with the Jeep when they have official cars to use?

“We have some key committee chairmen, because of the importance of their responsibilities, are given the vehicles to ease their operations and to help them to move around and few of them were given these Hilux jeeps.

“I think it is unimaginable and something not to talk about.

He said, “The Hilux vehicles were not bought, the council had the Hilux on ground. They bought those vehicles since 2016 and they have been in the office since that period .

“They are not brand new Hilux, they are Hilux of 2016 and 2017.

Speaking further, he said necessary preparations must have been put in place before the council commences the collection of Practitioners Operating Fees (POF).

“Before the commencement of POF, there are things that need to be done and as a soon as we are able to sort that out, the process will be put in place and that will come in.

“In fact, we may start collecting POF and people will not know we are collecting POF, we don’t need to make unnecessary noise. Nigerian Shippers’ Council is getting money, do we know where they are getting the money from?” He queried.