CRFFN Begins Manual Registration, Validation

• Extends Registration
The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has begun manual registration and verification of applications of individuals and corporate freight forwarders as well as freight service providers in all the nation’s major sea ports, cargo airports and land border posts.
The development comes even as the registration exercise, which began on February 1 and which was to end on April 15 has been extended to April 24, 2010.

The CRFFN, in a statement, explained that the manual registration which has already commenced will take place in the four cities of Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano. According to the statement, registration in the Western Zone is currently on-going at the Apapa, Tin Can Island and Kirikiri Ports, Lilypond   Container Terminal, Ijora; the cargo section of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, as well as the Seme and Idiroko land border posts.
That of Abuja is expected to have held at the cargo section of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport between April 13 and17, while that of Kaduna holds at the Inland Container Depot and Customs House, Kabala, from April 19th to 22nd.
The Council chief executive officer, Sir Mike Jukwe however added that only five freight forwarding associations namely:   AREFFN, ANLCA, NAFFAC, NAGAFF and NCMDLCA applied for accreditation as at the closing date on Wednesday, 7th of April, 2010. According to him, “management will analyze the applications and make appropriate recommendations to the Governing Council for its decision”.
Similarly, registration in the Northern Zone is expected to have held at the cargo section of Aminu Kano International Airport from April 13th to 17th while those of the land border posts in Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, Taraba, Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states holds between April 15 and 24.

That of the Eastern Zone also commenced last week and is expected to end on April 24 in Rivers, Delta and Cross Rivers States. The venues are Onne and Area I Ports, cargo section of Port Harcourt International Airport, Customs House and Federal Secretariat; Warri and Sapele Ports; as well as Calabar Customs House and Port respectively.
 
The Council disclosed that post-registration and validation session will be held at the four offices of CRFFN in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano respectively from 26th April to 8th May, even as its registrar, Sir Mike Jukwe explained that "all these efforts are been made to ensure that freight forwarders and freight service providers are given the opportunity to apply for registration. However, only eligible or qualified applicants will be registered and only those registered shall practice".
Giving an insight into what is expected at the end of the exercise, the Registrar emphasised that, “in the end, the accredited associations will be given ‘operating guidelines’ while registered freight forwarders will be given “code of professional conduct”. “We will sanitise our profession and accord it integrity”, he added.