Apparently not having the financial wherewithal to carry the burdens on its own, the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has begged freight forwarding associations to support it in its next round of Training of Trainers (TOT) programme which is supposed to commence from Monday 24th through 28th of June 2013.
Apparently not having the financial wherewithal to carry the burdens on its own, the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has begged freight forwarding associations to support it in its next round of Training of Trainers (TOT) programme which is supposed to commence from Monday 24th through 28th of June 2013.
Presidents of two frontline freight forwarding associations; the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Prince Olayiwola Shittu confirmed the situation, and his counterpart, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Chief Eugene Nweke last week confirmed this to Shipping Position Daily.
According to them, the CRFFN has appealed that participants at the training which is expected to hold in Abuja, are to provide for their transportation, accommodation and their feeding throughout their stay in Abuja for the programme.
The Council is said to have brought in facilitators from the Federation of International Freight Forwarders (FIATA) in order to conduct the said training.
Shittu while speaking at a meeting of his association last week said that the Council is broke and that if not, it is suppose to sponsor freight forwarders and not the other way round.
Speaking, he said “I just received a text that they are doing TOT and that we should sponsor them, the CRFFN should have been the one sponsoring but they don’t have money”
“We have somebody already who has been going for their training, it’s going to be for a week in Abuja, and they have said that we must provide for accommodation, transportation and every other thing” Shittu added.
He however assured that the association is ready to assist the council on the training and that ANLCA will be sponsoring its representative; Mr. Francis Omotosho who has been attending previous CRFFN trainings to attend the programme in Abuja.
NAGAFF President, Chief Eugene Nweke speaking via telephone with our correspondent last week also confirmed that freight forwarders have been asked to cater for themselves throughout the period of training, but he however countered that this does not mean that the CRFFN is broke.
According to him “if the CRFFN is looking for money it’s not in the aspect of training, as usual, the participants will take care of their accommodation, this does not mean that they are clamoring for money”
“They have given directive to the participants that when they are coming to Abuja they must come with their transportation and their accommodation and their feeding. The facilitator is there coming from FIATA to train everybody”
Eugene stated that he had attended the first and second TOT programme organized by the council but this time around, the association is sponsoring its Vice President, Barrister Fred Akokhia on the training.
“I have attended the 1&2 so I am going to send Barrister Akokia to go and conclude it because I will not be there because of other assignments”
Eugene also cautioned that there is no organization that does not have teething problems, according to him, the CRFFN is currently having its share of problems but that it is currently working assiduously to resolve its problems and take back its rightful position in the freight forwarding sector.
“Our problem has been the government, but now we have agreed to work together and forget about the government, we are professionals, government cannot decide our profession for us, we will decide our future”
“The council is a threat to many people because if it succeeded in inculcating discipline and morality, there will no longer be bribe giving and bribe taking and this is why they do not want the council to survive” Eugene said.
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