The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) Act is not working, says founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam.
Aniebonam said this while making contributions to the lecture on Understanding the Act for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding Practice in Nigeria delivered President, Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) Nigeria, Mrs. Jean Chiazor Anishere at the Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Programme (MCDP) for freight forwarders held last Saturday in Apapa, Lagos.
The programme organized quarterly by the Nigeria Institute of Freight Forwarders (NIFF) is to keep freight forwarders abreast of contemporary concepts in the maritime industry and to enable them qualify under the CRFFN educational programme to operate with practicing license.
Aniebonam said that the CRFFN Act is filled with loopholes and does not serve as a viable tool for the regulation of freight forwarding practice in Nigeria.
Making references to Sections 5, 6 and 19 of the Act, Aniebonam questioned the legal grounds on which the Council should receive directives from the Minister of Transport since, in his opinion, it is not an agency of the government. He also questioned the dependence of the Council on the Federal Government for funds since it has a stipulated mode of sourcing funds and the supremacy of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) practicing license over that of the Council’s.
Anishere said the CRFFN’s license is more important than that of the Customs noting that every freight forwarder must have the Council’s license to operate.
She is also said that it is binding on the Council to follow the directives of Minister of Transport as he is in charge of the affairs of the Council but open to recommendations from representatives of the Council. She, however, agreed with the NAGAFF founder that the CRFFN Act is filled with ambiguity and should be reviewed.
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