Founder, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam has asked the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to intervene in the coming election into the governing council of the Council For the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).
Aniebonam said this on Wednesday when the Executive Secretary of the Council, Hassan Bello paid a visit to the association’s headquarters in Lagos.
Aniebonam said the intervention of NSC is the only way the CRFFN board election could be free of rancor.
“Conducting election for three persons from each of the five registered association would bring about equal representation by all associations.
“Also, that will put an end to one association dominating others in the council. That will also bring about equal representation and forestall crisis that may come up after the election,” he said.
Speaking earlier, Bello said he was on the visit to consult with the association on matters affecting freight forwarding practice.
“We have been misconstrued as planning to regulate freight forwarders, it is not true because we don’t have the capacity to do that.
“It is only the CRFFN that has the capacity and the legal backings to regulate freight forwarding practice.
“We are only giving suggestions that when reforms come, freight forwarders will be ready and won’t be caught unaware or swept away when the reform comes.
“We don’t want them to be the weakest link in the logistics chain.
“We are only calling for professionalism in the industry. The freight forwarding profession should not be overtaken by touts or persons who do not know about the industry,” he said.
NAGAFF National President, Chief Eugene Nweke said, “We will like the council to support us in the area of capacity building because the Nigerian Custom Service (NCS) have distance themselves from freight forwarding in terms of training.
“We want to cover the gap to enable us to perform our profession successfully in the maritime industry.”
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