CRFFN yet to make impart on our lives – Freight forwarders 

Some freight forwarders have lampooned the incumbent leadership of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) led by  Alhaji Tsanni Abubakar for what they described as its timidity and lack of will power to protect the interests of the practitioners in the industry.

They lamented that almost one year after the inauguration of the current CRFFN board,  its impart is yet to be  felt in the lives of freight forwarders.

Ventilating the frustration of the hapless freight forwarders,   a frontline Customs broker and member of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Alhaji Akanbi Balogun expressed disgust at the planned collection of Practitioners Operating fees (POF) by the Council when, according to him, it has not added value to the business of its members.

He also lamented that presently, clearing agents are being overcharged and overtaxed at the port, saying the agents pay fees and renewals to various government agencies more than any other practitioners in the sector.

“What aspect of the profession have they intervened, shipping companies and terminal operators are overcharging us, CRFFN have never intervened, they don’t even know what is happening in the ports. They have never visited any port to see what is going on, but they want to start collecting money”, Balogun observed.

He also knocked the Council for its inability to issue identification cards to practitioners nine years after it  kick started registration of freight forwarders in Nigeria.

The membership drive of the CRFFN was kick started in year 2010 under the then leadership of Hon Tony Iju Nwabunike as Chairman of CRFFN.

About 5, 000 freight forwarders registered with the CRFFN during the registration process.

Alhaji Akanbi Balogun lamented that the CRFFN has not issued ID cards.

“We registered with the CRFFN both corporate and individual, but up till now they have not issued a single identification card to anyone”

“I took up the matter with Jukwe (former Registrar of CRFFN) when he came to ANLCA national secretariat. We paraded their Secretariat severally but it was not issued, and now you want me to start paying another money”

He said that due to lack of CRFFN identity cards, clearing agents are made to obtain port passes from various terminal operators inside the ports.

He called for a unification of identity cards under CRFFN, even as he suggested that the Nigerian Shippers Council should take over some functions of the CRFFN.

“Tin can port is divided into four terminals; TICT have their own port pass, Five Star, PTML, all have port passes, if you are going on the way and the police found six identity cards on you, they will suspect you”

“What is the role of shippers Council, what they have charged the CRFFN to be doing is what shippers Council can do conveniently”

“Shippers Council, NIMASA, NPA, NIWA are all under the ministry of transportation, we are the only ones with customs and we pay annually, we pay to NPA, if you have anything to do with NIMASA you also have to pay, now the CRFFN is also coming to start collecting money from agents, I believe they should have focus their attention on the transporters, Chandlers and so on” he said.

Also speaking with our correspondent, Board Chairman of Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN) Dr. Frank Ukor said that some of the freight forwarders have already been issued with the CRFFN identity cards.

He however said that majority are yet to be issued the identity cards despite making payments to the Council.

Dr. Ukor who was immediate past president of AREFFN confirmed that “I have my own identity card. A lot of Registered members have already been issued with identity cards while a lot too have not been issued with theirs in spite of the fact that everybody had paid”