Freight forwarders dismiss present board of CRFFN as worst ever.

The present leadership of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has been described as the worst in the history of the Council.

The Council is also alleged to adopt combative strategy for the collection of the severally failed Practitioners Operating Fee (POF).

Speaking with our correspondent on the development, Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, who is the National President of the Association of Professional  Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria I(APFFLON), said that the Council had no justifiable reason for the collection of the fee because it could not boast of anything it had done for freight forwarders since the inception of the present administration.

He added that his claim could easily be misconstrued as a vendetta  due to non-registration of his association by the Council, but he challenged any freight agent to come out and state what he has benefitted from the Council.

“It is a  good initiative to regulate freight forwarding in Nigeria but the present management of the Council is the worst.
“The present management of the Council is using intimidation. It is one thing to talk to your children and it is another thing to use autocratic means. They are out to intimidate freight forwarders and not to make things easier.

“So far, I can tell you categorically that the past leaders and the people that brought the idea of the Council have not in any way be carried along in decision making.

“How can you achieve prosperity in that kind is situation?

“Nobody knows the reason for the collection of the POF, there is no communications, no engagement

“People say APFFLON is not accredited, and I ask what is the benefit of the Council to the accredited Associations and even individuals?” he queried.

Speaking further, the APFFLON boss while creating agenda for the new Director General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mallam Farouk Salim, said the organisation should engage more in destination inspection instead of waiting for products to flood the country before chasing them about in warehouses.

According to him, the strategy will help improve the socio-economy of the country as well as balance the deficit between import and export trades.

He added that Mallam Salim should not ngage stakeholders  in their decision making.

“We expect the new DG to do things in a different way. Emphasis should not be on SONCAP, they should look for way that MANCAP will also be in vogue like SONCAP.

“This will help to increase indigenous products and will help to balance the flow of import and export goods.

“This will help improvement of the country’s economy rather than depending on imports alone.

“SON should also emulate destination inspection like NAFDAC is doing in such a way that the products would not find their ways into Nigeria.

“If the products are allowed in Nigeria, it will lead to constituting nuisance and congestions.

“Again, he needs engagement with stakeholders,” he pleaded.