Those who fought for the birth of Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) would never have envisaged that the council would shortly after its birth, be faced with life-threatening issues, such as have forced it not to have a governing council for months running.
One of the first questions that its promoters may ask is; whether it was wrong to have fought for the creation of a body that would enhance the freight forwarding profession in Nigeria.
Those who fought for the birth of Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) would never have envisaged that the council would shortly after its birth, be faced with life-threatening issues, such as have forced it not to have a governing council for months running.
One of the first questions that its promoters may ask is; whether it was wrong to have fought for the creation of a body that would enhance the freight forwarding profession in Nigeria.
And since its creation in 2007, the CRFFN has known little or no peace. Its pioneer governing council spent ample time brokering peace between it and some individuals and between it and some institutions.
At the earlier part of its existence, it was engaged by the factional national president, National Council of Managing Director of Licensed Customs Agents, Mr Lucky Amiwero; the fight is still before the courts.
Mr Amiwero had dragged the CRFFN, the minister of transport as well as the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to court over allegations of irregularities in the conduct of elections into the governing council in 2008.
While we can not categorically say that the case involving the Council of Managing Directors is dead, CRFFN had also at one time had issues with the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) over interpretation of the Act which established the Council.
There was also the face-off with an unregistered, body called, International Federation of Freight Forwarders Association (IFFFA). The IFFFA had in a letter to International Federation of Freight Forwarding Associations (FIATA) allegedly instilled fear in FIATA, saying that the safety of its officials who were being expected for a train-the-trainer’s programme could not be guaranteed in Nigeria.
When he held sway as the chairman of the governing council from the pioneer chairman; Mr Tony Nwabunike, the immediate past chairman; Alhaji Hakeem Olanrewaju demonstrated uncommon ability to steer the ship of the council. This, he demonstrated in the way he was able to reach a compromise with the NAGAFF during the face-off, and also in the manner in which he was able to tame the ‘renegades’ called IFFFA and the dogged manner in which he was able to pursue the FIATA’s training the trainers programme for freight forwarders.
He, along with the Council’s registrar; Sir Mike Jukwe and other members of the governing council was able to contain the various antics and intrigues which freight forwarders and freight forwarding associations are known for.
In fact, the Council was enjoying an apparently blissful relationship with all its constituents, until the peace was disrupted by the directive from the minister of transport; Senator Idris Umar to the CRFFN that the council could start collecting transaction fees on all imports into the country.
Since the approval became public knowledge, peace has eluded the freight forwarding family; it is so bad that members of the same association no longer trust one another.
It is a surprise that all efforts to end the feud have failed, including the intervention by the minister of transport.
Without any equivocation, the last governing council should be held responsible for the fate that has befallen the CRFFN. The other accomplices are the leaders of the freight forwarding associations.
It is shameful that the CRFFN could engage its registered associations in a dirty fight over money.
Since the face-off is all about money, the CRFFN and the duo of ANLCA and NAGAFF should have reached a compromise that would have made the action of the minister avoidable.
What the minister did was to dissolve a governing council whose tenure had expired; there may have been no need for this if there had been unity between the CRFFN and its immediate constituents, as represented by the registered associations.
The gladiators only played into the hands of an overbearing ministry of transport.
Constituting an interim governing council is probably the best available option at the time, but failing to constitute it, months after, smirks of an unpardonable attempt to incapacitate the CRFFN and further extend the ministry’s control over it
We think all that it is now ripe for all well-meaning registered freight forwarders to sheath their swords and form a common form to rescue the CRFFN from the abyss that is in at the moment. We equally urge the minister to be conscious of the fact that time is of essence in the move to redirect the CRFFN to the right path.
As far as we are concerned, the way forward for CRFFN is to hold elections to usher-in a new set of credible members of the governing council that will take over from where the Alhaji Hakeem Olanrewaju-led council stopped.
It’s our hope that the national president of ANLCA, his NAGAFF counterpart and the founder of NAGAFF will see the need to bury their ego and collectively safe the Council from the apparent state of abandonment and penury. If the CRFFN can not draw from the Federation Account and it can not collect transaction fees, then how will it be able to meet its obligations to freight forwarders? If it can not meet these obligations, then it’s a dead body. Certainly, this is not what the associations want.
So all those who have professed to be the brain behind CRFFN and all those who have claimed to have the largest number of members, this is the time to rise and safe ‘your Council’ from imminent death
This they can do by seizing every window of opportunity that is still opened, it will be eternally written against their names that it is the pecuniary interests that blindfolded them into putting the interests of their various empires first, rather than the collective
We also seize this opportunity to commend the efforts of the immediate past governing council. It did very well, when compared with what its predecessor achieved. Freight forwarders may not appreciate it now, but we are sure that, in a few years to come, the legacy will manifest.
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