By Joshua Yousouph
10 months after the dissolution of Governing Boards of all government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), members of the Governing Council of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) are demanding the unbundling of the council amidst lingering fall-out.
In response to perceived neglect and lack of representation, the CRFFN Governing Council members are now threatening to halt the collection of the Practitioners’ Operating Fees (POF) by the Council, unless their demands are met.
Recall that in June 2023, President Bola Tinubu approved the immediate dissolution of the Governing Boards of all Federal Government parastatals, agencies, Institutions, and government-owned Companies.
About 14 governing boards of government agencies such as the Nigeria Judicial Council (NJC), Code of Conduct Bureau, Federal Character Commission, Federal Civil Service Commission, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and National Population Commission (NPC) amongst others were excluded from the dissolution.
Some of the affected MDAs include: Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) as well as the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).
However, members of the Governing Council of CRFFN who spoke to Shipping Position Daily last week, raised alarm over the implications of the dissolution of government boards on their tenure, highlighted issues of misclassification and mismanagement, while calling for an urgent action to address the situation.
A member of the dissolved CRFFN Governing Council, Chief Increase Uche expressed frustration over the council’s inclusion in the dissolution of government boards, emphasizing that CRFFN is a professional council distinct from government-appointed boards and therefore should not have been affected by the government’s policy.
Uche highlighted the adverse effect of the dissolution on the development of freight forwarding policies and industry professionalism. He further asserted that the council, as a professional body, should not rely on government funding, citing the Oronsanye’s report which recommends that professional bodies generate their revenue independently.
The visibly aggrieved Council member called for a clarification of CRFFN’s status. He emphasized the importance of unbundling the council to allow for independent administration and governance.
“It appears now we seem to be in a quagmire currently because in actual fact the dissolution shouldn’t have affected the CRFFN governing council. We are a council; we are not a board. It’s a professional council that we are running under CRFFN. So, it was a misnomer for that government policy of dissolving all the boards of parastatals and agencies of the government to include us at CRFFN. So, we are still watching, let’s see what will be the end result of that erroneous action. We are waiting.
“For us as industry stakeholders, the council was not supposed to be affected but due to the overzealousness of the then Permanent Secretary who stylishly included CRFFN. In actual fact, we know we are not affected. So, the issue now is that they stopped us from operation and the whole thing has affected the development of freight forwarding as per implementing policies that can engender professionalism in the industry.
“But with the status of the council now, being already categorized as a professional council, I think we just need to make a review and then let the elected members go back to their business. But if this is allowed to happen, one thing is certain, it will be difficult for anybody to vie for election again until that very council and the Act of the council is very clear on how to compose the governing council.
“If practitioners decide to avoid that, the council is as good as dead. I am seeing what is happening as a bad omen, because it has been for so many months now and even before then, there has been a kind of a slow pace of action in the industry. So, we need to unbundle the council. That is what the bottom line is. Just unbundle the council so that the CRFFN as a body will be free to organize and administer the council properly”, Uche argued.
Another member of the CRFFN’s Governing Council, Alhaji Tanko Ibrahim echoed Uche’s sentiments, emphasizing that CRFFN belongs solely to freight forwarders and should not be subject to government control or interference.
Tanko revealed that efforts to seek clarity on CRFFN’s jurisdiction have been met with ambiguity, with government authorities stating that the council falls under the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy. However, he expressed doubt over the minister’s awareness of the issues plaguing CRFFN while criticizing the government’s minimal support, referring to the funding provided to the council as “peanuts.”
Speaking further, Tanko accused certain individuals within CRFFN of misappropriating funds, alleging that they are benefiting at the expense of the council’s financial integrity. In response to these grievances, Ibrahim announced plans to file a petition aimed at halting the collection of the POF, until transparency and accountability measures are implemented within CRFFN.
“We sought clarity of where we belong and they said we are under the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy. The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy has not even said anything concerning the issue. I don’t even know if he is aware of what is going on with the Council itself. We are tired of calling and writing because of the peanuts they are giving the Council. They should allow us to generate our revenue within us.
“The Council has an Act but the issue is that there are some people benefiting through the Council and they do not want that to happen. They have decided to continue squandering the Council’s money. Very soon, we are coming up with a petition to stop the collection of POF, because we are paying and we do not know or can not account for where the money is going to. The money has not been used for the reason it is being collected for. For that reason, the POF collection needs to be stopped” Tanko said.
On his part, former acting National President of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and member of CRFFN Governing Council, Dr Kayode Farinto highlighted the absence of a governing board as a significant impediment to CRFFN’s effective representation and governance.
Farinto stressed the need for the re-instatement of a governing council whose tenure was prematurely stopped, citing its critical role in facilitating effective governance and decision-making within CRFFN. He urged the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy to prioritize the reinstatement of a governing council to facilitate CRFFN’s operations and decision-making processes.
