Could the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), the body set up by law to regulate freight forwarders and freight forwarding associations in the country be experiencing a reversal of roles?
Former National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Sir Ernest Elochukwu, is of the opinion that the regulatory body is now, as a matter of fact, being regulated and controlled by the freight forwarding associations.
“Whereas it was said in the Act that among the functions of the Council is to control and regulate the associations in the freight forwarding industry, it becomes a paradox today that the associations in the freight forwarding industry are actually controlling and regulating the Council because when they are now saying what will happen and if it doesn’t happen nothing happens. What again is control and regulate? So, it’s a paradox,” the former ANLCA president said.
He said that he had foreseen the CRFFN’s present state of instability because, in his opinion, it would be difficult for the Council, established by an Act, to control another organization that was also established by law. “When this Act was being made, I actually strongly opposed involvement of the associations because I foresaw some of the things that are happening now because an association exists under the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) – the law that guide formation and operation of association, so it’s already under an Act.
“CRFFN was brought into place by an Act so the idea of letting one organisation that was brought about by an Act to be controlled by another association that has its existence based on an existing Act, I felt it was going to be a difficult thing,” Elochukwu said.
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