Leaders of freight forwarding associations are set to defend alleged illegal collection of practising fess over the years.
Some leaders of the associations made their positions known on the issue in separate interviews last week in Lagos.
The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, had recently threatened to send Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after the associatioons’ leaders over alleged illegal collection of the practising fees.
The minister had directed that freight forwarding associations should stop further collection of the practicing fees, which the associations had allegedly been collecting illegally at the ports.
At a meeting with the leadership of the five registered freight forwarding associations, the minister directed that all monies which had so far been collected in the past years by the associations must be accounted for.
The minister threatened to the invite the EFCC to probe the collections.
The President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Mr Olayiwola Shittu, said the association would not comment on the issue now.
But, President, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Chief Eugene Nweke, described the minister’s move as a welcome development.
“You will recall that regulatory regime of the freight forwarding practice commenced since 2008.
“Notwithstanding the impunity and unprofessional behaviour of some freight forwarders.
“So the directive essentially is to rekindle sense of professional regulations, enthronement of ethics and confidence of professional accountability.
“So the directive stands the test of time in terms of professional reform,’’ Nweke said.
The President of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Mr Lucky Amiwero, said his association was not part of the freight forwarding groups.
There has been a lingering controversy over who collects the Practitioners Operations Fee (POF) between the freight forwarding associations and the National Council for Regulation for Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).
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