Oluyinka Onigbinde
There is a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the inauguration of the newly-elected governing council of the Council for the Regulations of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN). This is even as the Ministry of Transportation has also dampened any hope of inauguration soon.
The CRFFN is a government agency that was established in 2007 to regulate freight forwarding in Nigeria. It is also responsible for promoting the highest standards of competence, practice and conduct among practitioners.
Recall that the elections into the governing council of CRFFN took place on March 9th 2022 with 15 registered freight forwarders emerging as new members of the governing council. However, about two months after the elections, the supervisory Ministry of Transportation has kept mum regarding the inauguration of the new governing council.
On the strength of the uncertainties, some concerned freight forwarders, including some of the newly- elected governing council members have raised alarm.
While some of the newly-elected governing council members have expressed their worry that the delay in inaugurating the council is due to the presidential election campaigns of the Minister of Transportation; Mr Rotimi Ameachi, others appealed to the minister to inaugurate the elected council members
In a chat with our correspondent, the acting president of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Dr. Kayode Farinto, who is also one of the elected council members, stated that the presidential election campaign may have affected the schedule of the minister, hence, the delay.
“The electioneering campaign is affecting his schedule and that’s why a lot of people are clamouring that he should resign and face his campaign. We are however optimistic that the inauguration will come up, maybe immediately after the Sallah break” he said.
Similarly, one of the newly-elected board members who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, stated that there is no doubt that the minister has put his ambition ahead of his responsibility, he said the minister’s presidential nomination campaign has taken his time.
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“Of course, there is no doubt that the minister is going up and down for his presidential ambition, he has placed his present ambition ahead of his responsibility as a minister, I can assure you that the inauguration may not take place until APC are done with their primaries” he said
On his part, the President of the Association of African Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON); Otunba Ogunojemite, also decried the vacuum in the CRFFN, he said critical issues that ought to have been handled by the governing council have been left unresolved due to the vacuum.
“Every stakeholder was eager that the inauguration of the governing council should take place as soon as the election was concluded. There ought not to be a vacuum in the CRFFN, there ought to be an interim committee in the absence of the board, but there is none,
Meanwhile, in a chat with our correspondent the Director of Press in the Ministry of Transportation; Mr Eric Ojiekwe, said he was not sure of when the inauguration will take place. When pressed further for specifics, he simply told our correspondent that: “I don’t know, I can’t really say when the inauguration will take place”.
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