For the second time in about one month, practising freight forwarders again last week rallied support for the cash-strapped and crises-ridden Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).
For the second time in about one month, practising freight forwarders again last week rallied support for the cash-strapped and crises-ridden Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).
At a meeting that was held in Lagos at the instance of the immediate past chairman of the CRFFN governing council; Alhaji Hakeem Olanrewaju and attended by leaders of all the registered freight forwarding associations under the council last Friday, it was agreed that there is the need to set up a seven-man committee to fashion out a revival programme for the Council.
Members of the committee are: Chief Ernest Elochukwu, Chief Peter Obih, Alhaji Hakeem Olarenwaju and Alhaji Aminu Kaye.Others are ;President of NAGAFF, Chief Eugene Nweke, Alhaji Moshood Tijani and Chief C.A.T Agubamah.
In a chat with Shipping Position Daily shortly after the meeting, President of the Association of
Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN) Dr. Frank Ukor , said that the committee was set up to move the council and the associations forward, in line with the international best practice.
Ukor noted that another meeting will hold soon for the committee to report on the achievement made within a time frame thus a town hall meeting will convey for all freight forwarders on how to work as a team.
"The council is our own and all freight forwarders must be carried along in whatever decisions that comes out"
On his part, former president of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents
(ANLCA), Sir Ernest Elochukwu also said that without the council, the dream of professionalizing freight forwarding will not be achieved.
Elochukwu stressed that the meeting has empowered the committee to address all issues bothering council.
He said the meeting deliberated on how individuals can make personal donations to revive the council.
According to him, "today's meeting is all about bringing other associations into the picture because the previous meeting was only attended by the first and second council"
"Myself, as the one who heads the committee, I also made a pledge that we will work assiduously to achieve its aims", he assured.
He noted that members of the committee are all professional freight forwarders andwith their experience, CRFFN will bounce back.
Also speaking to our correspondent after the meeting, Chairman Board Of Trustee of NAGAFF, Chief Chidiebere Enelamah assured that the seven- man committee will rejuvenate the council.
He also described the meeting as a fruitful gathering of freight forwarders.
It will be recalled that some leading freight forwarders who were members of the first and second governing council of the CRFFN had met on June 10 in Lagos some of the dramatis personae agreed to bury the hatchet and seek the way forward for the council.
One of the main issues that came up at the meeting was the current state of paucity of fund which has been the lot of the Council and which has rendered it comatose and those who attended agreed that they would make personal donation of funds to safe the ailing council
At the meeting, chief Elochukwu who spoke on behalf of other attdees peaking on behalf of the attendees, a former national president of ANLCA, Chief Henry Njoku confirmed told Shipping Position Daily that the meeting was for the freight forwarding associations to work together and find common goal to revive the council.
But, while welcoming his colleagues to last Friday’s meeting, the convener; Alhaji Hakeem Olanrewaju had tasked them that the prosperity would judge what they do or refuse to do to safe the Council.
“What legacy are we going to bequeath to our younger future successors, can our professional Patriarch's look back and appreciate our efforts that we didn't betray the lofty ideals of the Act 16, 2007, especially those who spent their time and resources towards the actualization of this legislative enactment?”, he asked, even as he urged them to forget bickering and rally round to safe the Council.
Tasking them on the need to make the Council to be financially independent, he asked: If other professional Councils or bodies can stand on their feet, without being funded by any government ministry, why can't we duplicate same or our Council? “Must we continue to pretend that all is well, whereas they are not?”
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