Freight Forwarders decry poor representation by CRFFN at FIATA

By Dapo Olawuni |

The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) is representing Nigerian freight forwarders poorly on the world freight forwarders body; International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA)

Former president of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Dr. Eugene Nweke stated this in a position paper titled “Redirecting the CRFFN for effective administrative regulatory regime” which was sent to our correspondent.

Eugene argued that haven accredited five professional freight forwarding associations, the CRFFN should inaugurate “the Nigeria Federation Of Freight Forwarding Association (NFFFA) to become the uniform voice of the freight forwarders.

On this premise, the NAGAFF former president said that government should disengage itself from representing the forwarders at the FIATA.

He said “Over the years, poor representation of the Forwarders were recorded both at regional and global level”

Nweke also called on the Governing Council of CRFFN to probe the illegal collection of “agents commission fee” by freight forwarding associations at Lagos airport.

He alleged that the monies are being collected in Lagos and other international airports in the country despite the directive from Amaechi through Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) SAHCOL and NACHO.

He also said there is need to probe activities of the immediate past administration of the CRFFN headed by its Registrar, Sir Mike Jukwe when there were no elected Governing Council in place.

The former NAGAFF President said there was need to redirect the administrative focus of the CRFFN in veiw of a seeming misplacement of administrative priorities, as evident in the breakdown of its budgetary focus for year 2017-2019.

“Probe the continuous Collection
of “agents commission fee” at the airports for the association, in spite of ministerial stoppage order to this effect to FAAN, Nacho, Sachol ( in Lagos) and other international airports. Such huge some of monies if recovered should aid the administrative easiness of the CRFFN, and inject sanity”

“It is important to reiterate that, a Professional Council must not accept internal corrupt practices and maladministration, it belittles a regulatory council integrity and gives a negative imaging where administrative structure thrives on a corrupt premise”

“Rather than building big edifice as administrative offices, cut across zones and states, the Council should develop and build cargo villages, cutting across zones and relevant states, and lease same out for revenue purposes”

“Alternatively, the CRFFN should partner with the Nigerian Shippers Council under a joint venture/MOU arrangement to develop industry clusters with a free zones status within Border Crossing Zones, Airports, Dry Ports” he said

Nweke argued that the Registrar of CRFFN remains a contract employee of the Council, with a four year renewable tenure, he is not an employee of the Federal Ministry Of Transportation, same is applicable to staff work force