AREFFN’s expansion catches NAGAFF’s interest

Determined moves by the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders, Nigeria (AREFFN) to expand across the nation has attracted the interest of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), which has gone ahead to make what industry watchers described as a curious offer to the trio of AREFFN, the Nigeria Association of Air Freight Forwarders and Consolidators (NAFFAC), and the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA)orwarders (AREFF) to set aside some unexplained grievances and come to it for succour.
In an unsigned statement from the NAGAFF National Headquarters, a copy of which was sighted by SHIPS & PORTS DAILY, the association, while congratulating AREFFN for establishing what it described as a “skeletal presence in the South-East”, noted that it will continue to assist “upcoming freight and licenced Customs agents associations to grow in strength and membership.”

The statement said: “The facilities of NAGAFF are open to all of our entire small group sister associations to enable them grow faster….The trio of NCMDLCA, AREFF and NAFFAC shall continue to enjoy the big brother role and goodwill of NAGAFF in their effort to survive the harsh conditions in our maritime transport and freight business.”
The statement further urged the NCMDLCA and NAFFAC to wake-up and join other freight forwarding associations to establish their presence in the northern region of the country for the purpose of job creation and sustainable freight forwarding business in the region.
The tone of the NAGGAF statement, according to industry watchers, does not come as a surprise, going by its past abortive attempts to subsume AREFFN in particular.
SHIPS & PORTS DAILY recalls that the secretariat of a faction of the crisis-ridden NCMDLCA had at a time been domiciled at the Freight Forwarders Village, NAGAFF’s National Headquarters in Apapa, Lagos.