Last week news that the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria has announced Monday, 23rd April to Friday 4th May, 2018 for picking of nomination forms for interested candidates in its Governing Council elections is creating anxiety among freight forwarding associations.
Leaders of the five registered freight forwarding associations admitted being caught unawares by the elections timetable, which indicted that a new Governing Council would be elected for CRFFN on May 16, 2018 in Abuja.
According to findings by Shipping Position Daily at the weekend, some of the freight forwarding associations appear not ready yet for the elections and may probably plead with the CRFFN for an extension of elections timetable.
Speaking with Shipping Position Daily at the weekend, National President of Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Tony Iju Nwabunike said that the association has not taken a decision yet on the CRFFN election.
Nwabunike said: “Rest assured that ANLCA is a big family and we are very ready all the time, however, we are still going to have a meeting about this election on Tuesday, after which I would talk to you on our decision”.
Also speaking with our correspondent, President of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN); Dr. Frank Ukor said the association has almost lost hope on the elections of the CRFFN.
Ukor however expressed his apprehension on the use of the current register of the CRFFN to conduct the coming elections. He alleged that some freight forwarding associations have already started registering all manner of questionable elements into its fold all in the bid to rig CRFFN elections.
“We are apprehensive, in the sense that we are waiting to see how it would go, knowing that some people have earlier rigged the election, we don’t know the condition for voting, but if we have to rely on people that have been registered through associations, we should just know that the election has been rigged”
“Some associations have brought people from everywhere for them to be registered, including touts, for all of them to come and register just for the purpose of election, I don’t know how it would go, and this is why I said we are apprehensive”, he said.
Ukor said there is likelihood of him to contest in the elections, but he assured that he is still consulting with his members and other industry stakeholders on the matter.
“We have almost lost view of the elections, I have almost forgotten about the elections until I got the notice, but I cannot say whether I am contesting now or not, it is the situation of things that would decide, I am still consulting with my members and other stakeholders because I cannot go there alone”
The embattled CRFFN had last week rolled out timetable for election its Governing Council.
The Council announced that about 26 new member who incidentally must be registered and practicing freight forwarders will be elected on May 16, 2018 in Abuja.
A new Governing Council of the CRFFN is expected to be inaugurated in Abuja on May 25, 2018.
Meanwhile in a press statement issued by the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) at the weekend, and signed by its Head of Special Duty, Rev. Agubanze Emmanuel, the association accused ANLCA of working to frustrate the upcoming elections.
He accused ANLCA of pursuing the establishment of a Chartered Institute of Customs Brokers in Nigeria, a move which according to him, contravenes the regulatory roles of CRFFN
According to the statement, this is an indication that ANLCA may not participate in the coming election into the Board of CRFFN Council.
"The new Executive of ANLCA under the leadership of Hon Tony Iju may not be interested in the forthcoming election going by their desire to pursue the establishment of Chartered Institute of Customs Brokers"
"It simply means that if they succeed at the National Assembly for such establishment, a parallel body to the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) will come on board"
But, founder of NAGAFF, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam said that the association has nothing to say about the development for now.
"We don't have anything to say about that for now, we will be addressing that by next week", he told our correspondent.
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