As the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) election draws near, Shipping Position Daily’s Roland Ekama spoke with the national president of the association; Chief Eugene Nweke. He talked about what to expect in the election, his advice to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council as the new commercial regulator and other issues.
As the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) election draws near, Shipping Position Daily’s Roland Ekama spoke with the national president of the association; Chief Eugene Nweke. He talked about what to expect in the election, his advice to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council as the new commercial regulator and other issues.
Do you think that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council can deliver on its new role as the commercial regulator of port operations?
They will over-deliver, because experience they say is not obtainable in the market. By virtue of the Act establishing the council, though there was no power of coercion, they are the best agency in the maritime industry that is capable of dealing with the situation we have in the port, in line with the role given to it by the Federal Executive Council through the Ministry of Transport. And for the fact that they are representing the shipper, who is the first actor, who are the people that initiate trade, according to the shipping claims and any other person within the supply chain, that is from the manufacturers, insurance companies, packaging firms and even the carrier of any given product or commodity, all have their own interest on the shipper that facilitate trade. Therefore, the Nigerian Shipper’s Council is there to protect and also to advice, therefore what the council needs to do now is to sit down, call for regular meetings with the concerned stakeholders, evaluate tariff, carry out dialogue with the concerned parties, introduce pricing methodology and also carry out a clear-cut process at arriving on the charges to be paid in all transactions. Also the council should carry out a thorough research on all the parties involved as regard their operations. Then with some other agencies, they should evaluate the impact on Nigeria in line with international best practice. So the Nigerian Shippers’ Council’s new role as the economic regulator is a done deal and I know that the executive secretary with his capable team will clear all the problems faced by practitioners.
Taking a look at the ports and harbour bill that is still pending at the National Assembly; don't you think it will give some level of limitation considering the legal implication?
The president, Federal Republic of Nigeria has executive power to give directives and as we speak the council is relying on executive power from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) that has been gazette. Don't also forget that the Shippers’ Council will always go through presidential fiat, to present papers by way of official gazette of the Federal Republic of Nigeria through the National Assembly in discharging her duties which is also part of the Act of parliament. So when FEC gives an order or directive that the Nigerian Shippers Council is now the regulatory agency as regards economic and commercial operations in the nation's seaports, let them say they are unaware of it. If the terminal operators say they are not aware of any order from the government then they should watch it because the government has given a directive to that effect because the NSC was established by an Act of the National Assembly. With the executive power in place, it can use it to check the concessionaires on what are not supposed to be and what is supposed to be. However if the terminal operators are not satisfied with the order, position or directive that the Nigerian Shippers Council has been given the role of an economic regulator, then they can always seek redress in court.
Elections time in the NAGAFF forthcoming elections has been rescheduled what is behind the change?
What we are doing in NAGAFF is a one big family affair and we are on the transition process , I believe you are aware that election is around the corner, after four years of democratic experience we want to consolidate and the extension of date in the timetable is for the betterment of our members because we want to build a legacy in NAGAFF and that is why when you see changes here and there as regards the shift of election time table, that will tell you that the electoral commission has enormous independent power to discharge its duty and secondly as a body of freight forwarders, we are also looking at responses from our members. Of course we are not doing it for the federal, local or state government, but for our members, so if there is any need for improvement, I think it is best for NECOM to consider what members are saying so that we can have a free and fair election at the end of the day; hence the extension is not aimed to cause any friction whatsoever among members ,but it is aimed to carry everybody along and above all we are trying to put in place a democratised system for all members to understand what we stand for. Our association was not established in 1954 like our sister association, rather we came into being about10 years ago and we urge stakeholders to note that there has been steady progression in all that we do. I also know that as we progress, this election will bring out the best because we don't want anyone to be disenfranchised thus everybody must be carried along; we have people that are intelligent, they are capable to deliver and they are unbiased to conduct very good election.
What then is your expectation in the forthcoming election?
We are not into all winner-takes- all and all losers lose out totally, therefore we look forward to an election that will make us happier than we were and even when you lose because there must be winners and losers at the end of the day, but we have a way to encourage all the losers at the end of the day so we are expectant of a positive change. I remember when I conducted bye elections in 2010 as the NECOM chairman, I remember vividly that after the election, nobody went to court and I still believe that nobody will go to court after this election and that is why we try to ensure that whatever thing that we can do to ensure free and fair election, we will do to make everyone happy. I also know that the election will be transparent, I spoke the NECOM chairman and he has given me his words that there will be no rigging or irregularities in the election. The young man; Okey Nerus is a man of integrity, so I want to believe in him and his deeds.
Do you have the intention to re -contest as the president of NAGAFF?
No, I don't have any intention to contest for the post of the president of NAGAFF, therefore I don't have any second term ambition, the only contract that I have with NAGAFF now is for me to start the process of consolidation and redirection that will bring about integrity to the association.
In the last four years as president what would you say are your achievements?
I have bridged the gap between the bickering and in-house fighting by the freight forwarding associations. When I came on board, I unified all freight forwarding associations whereby all of us are now seen as one, which I will say is my greatest achievement.
What about NAGAFF; your own association?
As regard NAGAFF I think I will best to say that my members and the executives are in a better position to judge me, assess my performance whether I did well or not. Therefore it behooves on members to pass that judgment, and not me. I think, it won't be proper on my own part to start blowing my own trumpets, rather I will leave it for others to say something about it and one thing for sure, when I go, people will talk about positively or negatively because I am human. If by tomorrow, I leave the position of president NAGAFF and somebody out there says Eugene Nweke did well, then I am satisfied but if people say to hell with him, then I will say such is life. The bottom line is that I can't judge myself; I work like every other man out there seeking for God's intervention, guidance and prosperity. Like I said earlier on, you can talk to my subordinates on my achievements while in office as the president of NAGAFF, but really I can't be counting achievements with my fingernails as an association head.
What is your reaction to the recent threat by the founder of your association to withdraw NAGAFF from MAAG,?
Dr Boniface Aniebonam is the founder of NAGAFF and the chairman of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), a politician to the core, a professional in the freight forwarding practice. What we are doing here is to tap from him as an experienced freight forwarder, but when it comes to issues you talked about, well I will say he has his reasons to express himself but I believe NAGAFF has a hierarchy. For me I am not here to join issues because administratively as the president, I am here to give direction to members as an administrator and not as a politician. I may not have that muscles to talk too much for people to hear me, because I am here as the president of an association; to look at issues and to protect interest of a larger number of my members by telling them the reasons why we are here and what we aim to achieve.
But members of MAAG were not really happy with that threat and they also say that NAGAFF is not in order?
Perhaps because NAGAFF have a founder and other associations do not have someone they can call a founder, therefore they are holding brief on behalf of their respective associations. A grandfather will always look at his son and guide him not to fall, he stand the chance to advice that child whenever there is the need to do that, but at the end of the day the man in charge needs to be guided by his own conscience on what he is doing and the ability and capacity to understand and show leadership.
What can you make out of recent budgetary allocation to CRFFN for 2014?
That is why we said that if this very ministry or government wants the council to be a parastatal, they should come out with clear terms on their position. Now we said we want the council to be a private, entity but the government insist that it must be a parastatal under the ministry of transport, government have the mindset to reform the freight forwarders therefore they should not continue funding the council, because the number one motive of CRFFN is to bring about transformation of the practitioners in the freight forwarding circle. If government feels they can no longer accommodate the council, then they can hand it over to us, because it is our baby. The driving force behind the council is reformation and after that regulation of the profession. The government needs reformation, transformation and regulation so there is the need to fund the council and to me, the amount given to them is never an issue because they said it is an agency of government and the industry is a major key sector that government must work on, and even the money we are talking about is supposed to be more that, besides if they can not handle it properly they can still hand it over to us.
Do you support collection of transaction fee?
Collection of transaction fee is of old and I am not in support of it. As we speak we have an agency that has been given the status of commercial regulator and the Act is very clear about that. If you say registration, verification and donation; these are ways CRFFN can generate revenue and if they now choose to collect some certain fee they must consult the regulatory agency; which is the Nigerian Shippers Council and I don't think the Shippers Council will have to fold its hands and allow it to happen. So what I think is the way out is for us to go back to the drawing board and x-ray the issue properly. In the nutshell, government funding of the council means good for the sector and before there was illegal collection of fees hence we were unable to train ourselves. When you look at the situation holistically, there must be economic and verifiable reasons why agents should collect N1000 or N2000 on 20-foot and 40-foot container and that is why I say the issue of transaction is of old, therefore there is need to go back to the drawing board on that. Again, I don't think the minister of transport will make that mistake by allowing the CRFFN to collect transaction fee.
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