NAGAFF Academy warns freight forwarders to comply with CRFFN certification exercise

Freight forwarders have been advised to take the registration, certification exercise of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) seriously to avoid losing their job.

The admonition was coming  on the heel of the warning issued by  CRFFN that from December 2021, only Nigerians with a Diploma in freight forwarding from certified institutions and registered with it would be allowed to practice freight forwarding in the country.

Prince Segun Adefioye, Founder of the Odua Descendant Freight Forwarders Association (ODFFA), and Forwarder Francis Omotosho, Registrar, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Academy, gave the admonition at a sensitization workshop organized by the association in Lagos on Friday.

Prince Segun Adefioye, said that the sensitization became imperative in view of the lackadaisical attitude of members of the associations and other freight forwarders to the CRFFN warning and to enlighten them on what they stand to gain by being registered members of the Council.

Adefioye averred that the freight forwarding trade globally is changing and that only educated professionals can match up with the change which the regulatory body is poised to attain with the registration/certification

Adefioye said, ‘’I am deeply disturbed with the way and manner our members and other Yoruba freight forwarders go about unconcerned with the registration and certification exercise of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria. 

“We behave as if nothing will happen, that CRFFN will not make home its warning. If it does, the majority of you will lose your jobs automatically. I do not want this to happen, and that is the reason we organized this workshop to enlighten you on the import of the registration/certification and what you stand to benefit from it. Education is very important.’’

While speaking, the NAGAFF Academy Registrar, Forwarder Francis Omotosho, said that the freight forwarding profession got to this level of every Dick and Harry, people who lack requisite education qualification and necessary certification, practise freight forwarding. And this, according to him, the CRFFN registration/certification intends to change, to empower professionals educationally to be in tune with the modern practice globally.

Omotosho maintained that with the CRFFN registration/certification, freight forwarders would regain their pride and there shall be standard benchmark charges for processing cargo clearance in the ports, and the better for freight forwarders.

Charging the participants to take the CRFFN certification exercise serious to protect their future, the NAGAFF Academy Registrar warned ‘’if we do not have educated and certified people in the business, we are causing more harm as we won’t be able to enforce standard benchmark charges on cargo as it is done in other advanced countries. Customs cannot help us but if we get trained and registered as CRFFN members, there will be unity and cohesion for us to enforce standards.’’

He said that the NAGAFF Academy offers various courses in freight forwarding and charged them to take advantage of this as he disclosed that the Academy would soon be licensed by the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE) to offer a National diploma.

 

 He said that the politics in the CRFFN has debarred the academy its accreditation but ‘’we won’t be deterred by this as we are more focused on the NBTE Accreditation for now. But I can assure you that the CRRFN Accreditation will come in too soon.’’