In his words he said: "The government should be more serious in the process of organizing elections The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has called on the federal government to be more serious with the process of organizing election into the governing council of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (CRFFN).
The association said this last week at the Nigerian Shippers Council office in Lagos when NAGAFF, ANLCA and others had a closed door meeting with the Federal Ministry of Transport to discuss the various challenges freight forwarders encounter at ports in the cause of discharging their duties.
Speaking at the event, the founder of NAGAFF, Dr Boniface Aniebonam called on the government to be serious in the process of organizing elections into the governing council for the CRFFN in line with the spirit and letters of the law setting up the council even as he acknowledged the efforts of the leadership of the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Shippers’ Council and the Nigerian Ports Authority in resolving all the maters.
Also speaking, the Registrar of CRFFN, Sir Mike Jukwe said that the council is in the verge of ensuing categorization of freight associations to ensure smooth administration and cohesion.
“In the new order and dictate of the on-going reforms it may no longer be necessary to allow proliferation of associations within the concept of categorization. there is need to ensure that all stakeholders key into the new mandate enabling ease of doing business in Nigeria" he said.
It would be recalled that the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) and the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) had earlier issued a 21-day ultimatum to withdraw their services to the government to address most of the issues militating against smoth cargo clearance or else they will withdraw their services from the country's ports and land borders and entry points. Issues in contention include, but not limited to, arbitrary and unilateral increase in charges by terminal operators and shipping companies, highhandedness, impunity, extortion, blocking and arrest of properly exited cargoes on the highways and unwarranted detention of freight forwarders among others, as some of the practices militating against smooth cargo operations.
Addressing the peace meeting called at the instance of the Federal Government, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Sabiru Zakari, who said he has the mandate of the Presidency, appealed to the Freight Forwarders to shelve their proposed "withdrawal of service" as the government, in recognition of their important role in the nation's strive for greatness, was prepared to address the issues they have raised.
After extensive engagement, and discussion with the government representatives, the Associations agreed to extend the ultimatum by another 21 days to enable government address all the issues raised in their grievances.
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