CEMA: CRFFN Advocates For Funding From Customs Revenue Collection

The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has called for the amendment of some provisions in the draft CEMA Bill 2011, which it says are inconsistent with certain provisions of the CRFFN Act of 2007.
Giving the stand of the Council in Abuja at the public hearing that was put together by the House of Representative on the new Customs and Excise Management Act, the registra of CRFFN, Sir Mike Jukwe submitted that if those sections are not amended, they are likely to infringe on the rights of Nigerian freight forwarders.

The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has called for the amendment of some provisions in the draft CEMA Bill 2011, which it says are inconsistent with certain provisions of the CRFFN Act of 2007.
Giving the stand of the Council in Abuja at the public hearing that was put together by the House of Representative on the new Customs and Excise Management Act, the registra of CRFFN, Sir Mike Jukwe submitted that if those sections are not amended, they are likely to infringe on the rights of Nigerian freight forwarders.
According to him, going by the provisions in the draft CEMA Bill 2011, majority of freight forwarders in Nigeria would be denied of their source of livelihood which he said would not augur well for the Nigerian security and the economy in general.
Reacting specifically to Section 15 of the draft Bill which relates to funding  
Jukwe said there was need for CRFFN to be funded from the revenue generated through Customs duty paid by licensed customs agents who are principally freight forwarders in order to ensure efficient regulation and control of freight forwarding operation in the country.  
The CRFFN boss outlined other relevant sections of the Bill that needed to be amended to include, inclusion of CRFFN in Nigerian Customs Service board just as the Customs is represented on the council of CRFFN.
He also called for a re-definition of who a “Customs Representative” is and the need for
Section 98 of the proposed CEMA to be in tandem with Section 19 of the CRFFN Act 16 of
2007 on the requirement of a certificate of registration with CRFFN as a pre-requisite for issuance and renewal of customs license to Customs licensed agents.