The Founder, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr Boniface Aniebonam said the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) kicked against the collection of CRFFN’s Practitioners’ Operating Fee (POF) because it will be stopped from collecting the POF illegally from its members.
The Founder said this when the Area Manager, Industrial Training Funds (ITF), Apapa Area Office, Chukwuemeka Okafor and his management team paid him a courtesy call in his office on Friday.
Aniebonam accused ANCLA of opposing the collection of CRFFN’s POF for selfish reasons.
He said, “One of us who is collecting the money illegally is behind what is happening now, they say [CRFFN] wants to remove them from where they are eating.”
Aniebonam said when the crisis was eventually resolved the CRFFN would have enough money for training of Freight Forwarders and Customs Agents in the industry.
His words, “When the crisis is resolved and money comes in CRFFN can say we give you (ITF) hundred people to train for us and they pay you your money because the money is there.
“No one can be against the Government. We will keep in touch because your service is in our interest. Your job is to improve our capacity.
Responding, the ITF, Apapa Area Manager, Chukwuemeka Okafor said freight forwarding is one of the sectors where they have not improved industry capacity.
“It is the mandate of ITF to improve skills; services or manufacturing. This is one of the sectors where we have not trained hands and we believe they do not have all the required skills and due to our mandate we see it as a virgin ground to train Nigerians that are into the (freight forwarding) business.
“From media reports, we have heard of accidents and cases that are as a result of human fault and we are here to reduce that. The wastages, the accidents will reduce and productivity will improve when we come in.
He however said the foremost training institutions intend to achieve the feat by partnering with the associations.
“By partnering with the associations, we intend to fill up the skill gaps in the industry.”
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