CRFFN Year 2021 Education Standardisation not feasible - ANLCA

By Dapo Olawuni |

Coming on the heels of the recent ultimatum issued by the Registrar of Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Barrister Samuel Nwakohu that any freight forwarder who failed to arm himself with minimum of a diploma certificate in freight forwarding would be deregistered by 2021, clearing agents have called for caution in implementing the scheme.

Speaking with our correspondent, Chairman of Tin Can chapter of Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Prince Segun Oduntan said the ultimatum is not feasible unless it is implemented gradually.

Oduntan argued that there are freight forwarders whose licenses are as old as 47 years old while the owners might equally be too old to return to class.

He said “freight forwarding is an old profession, today is 2019, when you say by 2021, you are talking about two years time, this is a profession that some people’s grandfathers bequeathed to them, someone whose professional license is 47 years old, the person using it now is like the third generation”

“I believe the CRFFN should still give a room for people to comply, 2021 is not too feasible, Dangote is not a first class graduate, the first class students are not all successful businessmen, how many company that is doing fine that you have seen that they have first class founder? Maybe you can say Zinox, but apart from him who else?

‘So, the CRFFN education standardization would have to be a gradual process, if you cannot get a diploma, are you telling me that somebody who is about 67 years old, you want him to go back to class?”

“But if his child is not there, he can equally bring in somebody who has an IT knowledge and experience to take over from him gradually, he can decide to partner, even though he is not educated, his contacts might be what is bringing the jobs, you might have a diploma and not be getting the jobs”

Oduntan said freight forwarding is a profession that is very peculiar, and that it is about your integrity.

He said “Go and bring somebody with a masters degree to practice freight forwarding, you will see that the person will run out, this is why you see retired Customs Area Controllers and ACG, when they retire, they fall back into this profession, but after three years they fizzle out”

“The Registrar of CRFFN is just coming into the profession, so the 2021 he is talking about is not feasible, it has to be a gradual process” he said