The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has disclosed that it would soon commence arrests of unregistered but practicing freight forwarders at all the nation’s entry points. The council’s registrar, Sir Mike Jukwe said yesterday that such categories of freight forwarders would be arrested as from the second week of April.
Jukwe dropped the hint at a one day official visit of CRFFN management to the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders in Lagos.
The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has disclosed that it would soon commence arrests of unregistered but practicing freight forwarders at all the nation’s entry points. The council’s registrar, Sir Mike Jukwe said yesterday that such categories of freight forwarders would be arrested as from the second week of April.
Jukwe dropped the hint at a one day official visit of CRFFN management to the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders in Lagos.
The CRFFN boss who affirmed that the business of freight forwarding in Nigeria attracts a large number of people who parade themselves as clearing agents, but he assured that the era of touting in the port has come to an end.
He said that the enforcement unit of CRFFN will arrest and prosecute agents that are yet to be registered stressing that the act establishing the council does not allow for touting or the practice by unregistered freight forwarders.
‘’Any tout found at the port parading himself as a freight forwarder will be will arrested and be prosecuted because the law is very clear on that. We do not have toust anymore and what we have now are forwarders’’.
Jukwe however urged registered freight forwarders to identify themselves as forwarders for the interest of the profession and that has been professionalized in the country.
On his part, the Director of Enforcement of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, Mr Basil Okpara confirmed that the arrest of those that are yet to be registered will commence in the second week of April.
He said that freight forwarders, freight forwarding companies and associations of freight forwarders that are yet unregistered will be moved out of the seaports, airports and land borders.
According to him the guideline for the enforcement will be made known to freight forwarders.
‘’We are ready and the enforcement team has been assembled, they have been recruited under my directorate and the Police I.G has dispatched his own team. Our enforcement is going to be in two sections in the second week of April and we are going to enforce for compliance of those that yet to be registered’’, he stressed
Okpara said that the enforcement team is ready as the recruitment of personnel has been finalized with support from the Inspector General of Police and other security agencies.
He said that Toyota Hilux Jeeps have been provided with an authorized federal government’s plate number and combatant uniforms for personnel are ready.
Earlier in his remark, the National President of NAGAFF, Mr. Eugene Nweke who went down memory lane about the birth of CRFFN and the role that the association’s founder, Dr Boniface Aniebonam played said that the essence of the visit of CRFFN to association is to rub minds on issues affecting the industry and Nigeria at large.
Nweke also congratulated the Registrar on his appointment as the chairman of the Benue River Port Dredging Implementation Committee.
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