ANLCA VS CRFFN:

•    Save Nigeria Group Lauds ANLCA President       

Freight forwarding groups appear to be more sharply divided by the day over the festering face-off between the Association of Nigeria, Licensed customs agent (ANLCA) and the supervisory; Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).
While the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) appears to be playing the wait- and -see game and mediatory role, two groups have taken diametrically different positions in the face-off.
Still basking in the euphoria of its recent recognition by the CRFFN, a faction of the National Council of  Managing Directors  of Licensed Customs Agents have expressed total support for the actions of the CRFFN.
In a statement issued over the weekend and signed by the group’s president; Chief Festus Ejiofor, it also said last week’s resignation by the national president of ANLCA from the governing council of CRFFN was a welcome development.
We most sincerely welcome president Shittu’s resignation from CRFFN governing board, that is if such appointment still exists after the  terminal date of tenure of board in August”, Chief Ejiofor stated in the message.
On the court cases, the association dissociated itself from such, threatening it would also go to court, should the stand of CRFFN be reversed.
Similarly, the save Nigeria Freight Forwarders, Importers, Exporters, Coalition has commended the ANLCA president for his action.
National Coordinator of the group, Chief Patrick Osita Chukwu described the ANLCA boss as a leader with vision and someone who is transparent.
According to him, the ANLCA boss knows what is right for the industry and cannot tolerate extortion by the CRFFN and the ministry of transport respectively.
Osita who disclosed this in a chat with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos, called for members of ANLCA to partner with his group to endure that the council backs down on its insistence on paying subvention to clearing agents groups.
He said since ANLCA will be going to court over the issue, his group will also join the foremost freight forwarding association to put a stop on the move by CRFFN to collect the so called practicing fee.
According to him, gone are the days when agents were being used to do what they are not supposed to do.
“We are saying No to the federal government that is championing the cause of ripping agents. They should go and fund CRFFN and if they fail to fund CRFFN, we will revoke any means of trying to compel us to pay the transaction fee”, he stressed.
Also, over the weekend, the president of NAGAFF, Mr Eugene Nweke appealed to the ‘warring factions’ to allow ongoing mediatory efforts to yield fruits.
In a message which was also made available to our correspondent, Nweke noted that the level of negotiation that have been reached does not warrant “drums of war and undue agitation” , even as eh called on the parties to the conflict to go back to the negotiation table.
In a veiled reference to the insinuations that the current hard stance of CRFFN was fuelled by the non-practising freight forwarders in the governing council of CRFFN, the NAGAFF president said, “collectively we have a duty to prove to non-practicing freight forwarders in the governing council and indeed the stakeholders within the maritime industry that we are men of proven integrity and managers of human and resources”.