Elected members tackle government appointees in CRFFN over alleged marginalisation

Chinazor Megbolu |

There is a brewing cold war among the members of the governing Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding practice in Nigeria (CRFFN).

This has created an uneasiness that is threatening to polarise the members into two distinct groups.

Our correspondent realiably gathered that the 15 elected freight Forwarders are on war path with the government appointees in the council over what they described as their overbearing attitude.

It was learnt that the elected freight forwarders claimed they were being marginalised in the scheme of things in the council by the powerful government appointees.

There are 32 members in the governing council of the CRFFN.

They comprise of 15 elected freight forwarders who represent the five recognised freight Forwarders associations.

The other 17 members were appointed by government to represent various interests.

The Chairman of the Council, Alhaji Tsanni Abubakar, is a government appointee.

However, the elected members who are practicing freight forwarders are feeling slighted and side-lined by the Federal Government appointees in the council whom they accused of not carrying them along.

A source, who confided in our correspondent declared that, ”this development almost crippled the council, as it was not able to carry out its primary statutory responsibilities of regulating the industry and training practitioners over the period”.

“The CRFFN had on July 9, 2019 elected a total of 15 freight forwarders to represent the five associations comprising six for the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), six for the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), while the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agent (NCMDLCA), Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN) and National Association of Air Freight Forwarding and Consolidator (NAFFAC), have one representative”.

It was reliably gathered the elected board members are not being carried along on vital decision-making process by the government appointees.

According to a member of one the associations, who spoke anonymously, “We will not sit here and allow anybody to destroy the council we have fought over the years to establish and sustain.

“You know that the CRFFN had no board for over six years and we had to fight all the forces to address this lacuna and we had to diminish our individual pride and ambitions to ensure that the election was conducted”.

He noted that the associations will have to speak with one voice because ” if not so, practicing freight forwarders would ultimately lose in the event the council is not able to perform its statutory functions for which it was created”.