NAGAFF Tips Alban Igwe as Registrar, CRFFN

ZION Olalekan

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has recommended the Vice President of the Nigerian Institute of Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (NIFFN) Dr Alban Igwe to fill the vacant position of Registrar of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN)

Founder of NAGAFF, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam at the Freight Forwarders Day celebrated in Lagos last week routed for Alban Igwe to take the job, even as he charged the Chairman of CRFFN, Col Tsanni Abubakar to ensure he gets the job.

Aniebonam charged the CRFFN Chairman to address the controversy on ‘who is a declarant in cargo clearance procedure. According to him, a lot of corporate companies were hiding under the Customs clearing licenses to commit fraud.

He argued that rather than government licensing corporate entities to do clearing of cargoes, individuals should be licensed in order to ensure accountability.

Apparently pressed over the years by press men on why the association failed to embrace Democratic system of administration, He explained that NAGAFF had embraced a succession style of leadership in producing its Presidents in order to prevent external infiltration.

Also, for allegedly collecting N10, 000 in order to issue a port pass to freight forwarders seeking entrance into its terminal, Aniebonam charged CRFFN to investigate terminal operator; Ports and Terminal Management Limited (PTML)

He lamented that the challenge has been lingering at PTML where freight forwarders were being prevented from entering the port to carry out their legitimate business.

Aniebonam alleged that despite series of protest letters, the extortion had continued, even right under the noses of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Shippers Council whom he said could not correct the anomaly.

Aniebonam noted that the CRFFN is the best agency to bring PTML to check, he charged the council to deploy its enforcement team and it’s tribunal in arresting and prosecuting the terminal operator.

While addressing the CRFFN chairman, Aniebonam said “The CRFFN has a tribunal, all you need to do is to get in touch with the inspector General of Police, it is his powers to assign police officers to you, a Judge is also assigned to the tribunal, if all these have been done, then you can move in the enforcement unit of the CRFFN to pick them (PTML) up and charge them to court”

“We are not living in a banana republic, the other side of it is corruption and the freight forwarders are being extorted”

“Look at PTML, in the eye of the Nigeria Shippers Council, the Police, NPA and so on, PTML and Mr. Russo are there collecting illegal money and stopping agents from going to do their business, the only person that has authority to collect money or administrative cost for gate pass is NPA, but the terminal operator is collecting the money”

“We have written documents, shippers’ council has been there, NPA has been there and yet they are doing what they are doing” he said.