The Auditor-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Ukura Samuel, has queried the payment of N25 million take-off grant by Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).
The payment was made in 2008 on the orders of former Minister of State for Transport, Mr. John Emeka, to enable the CRFFN commence operation.
Usually authoritative sources informed SHIPS & PORTS DAILY that the AGF has also directed the CRFFN to return the money to the coffers of the NSC.
When contacted, Deputy Director and Head, Public Affairs of the NSC, Mr. Ignatius Nweke, confirmed that his organisation received the query from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
Nweke said that the NSC had formally informed the Minister of Transport of the development, since it was the Ministry that directed the NSC to release the money to the CRFFN.
The latest development further deepens the financial crisis rocking the CRFFN, which has not been able to generate much-needed funds from the collection of registration and practising fees from its members due to its face-off with leading freight forwarding associations, especially the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF).
Apart from the payment of staff salaries, government has also refused to fund the CRFFN’s operational activities, including travels of its top officials.
SHIPS & PORTS DAILY investigations revealed that, since last year, the Federal Government has not made any provision for funds in the national budget for the implementation of key programmes and activities of the CRFFN.
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