The Nigerian Institute of Freight Forwarding and Customs Brokers in Nigeria (NIFFCB) has enjoined all registered freight forwarders to sharpen their skills by updating their knowledge in the freight forwarding practice.
President of the Institute, Dr. Zebulon Ikokide gave the charge on Tuesday when he led other executive members of the institute on a courtesy visit to the secretariat of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agent (NCMDLCA) in Apapa, Lagos.
Ikokide said freight forwarding practice goes beyond clearing containers at the port.
He said the institute was desirous of seeing that the practice of freight forwarding in Nigeria was professionalized, hence the need for the association to collaborate with it for training of its members.
“We are giving you these training so that you will know that freight forwarding is not all about clearing containers at Tin Can. It means that you as a practitioner should be able to stand to discuss the subject. We also want to engage the government in talking about freight forwarding in Nigeria because we feel our own profession should aspire to be like that of lawyers, doctors and others. That is what the institute wants to bring you into,” he said.
While soliciting the support of NCMDLCA, Ikokide assured that the institute will not only train but also cater for the interest of all freight forwarders irrespective of their association “by ensuring that they gain global recognition”.
He said all freight forwarders registered with the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) gain automatic membership of the institute.
Factional President of the association, Festus Ejiofor while pledging the support of the association to avail its members of the NIFFCB training program calls for a reduction in the training fee.
He said the high cost of training freight forwarders do not encourage most of them to participate in training programs.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.