After one week of intensive residential drilling, the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), last week in Lagos graduated the first sets of participants in its executive professional diploma in freight forwarding programme.
After one week of intensive residential drilling, the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), last week in Lagos graduated the first sets of participants in its executive professional diploma in freight forwarding programme.
The programme which started last week Monday and was brought to a close last week Friday was attended by 17 participants who are managing directors and chief executive officers of freight forwarding companies in Nigeria, among them are the Vice Chairman of the CRFFN, Dr. Sam Onyemelukwe and Chief Peter Obi who is also on the governing council of the CRFFN.
Other participants who were graduated include; President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Mr. Eugene Nweke, Barrister Tino Buoro of Cargo Defence Fund, Francis Ayomodupe, Chief Teddy Ifezue, Ifeanyinchukwu Osuagwu, Otunba Moshood Tijani (TIJACO) Alhaji D.O Omideyi.
Others includes; Mr. Walter Chigbo, Hajia Bola Muse, and Mr. Olumide Fakanlu.
Speaking at a send forth programme organized for the participants in Lagos last week, the Chairman of the CRFFN, Alhaji Hakeem Olanrewaju congratulated and charged the first set of participants to make sure that they be good ambassadors of freight forwarding and crusaders of the benefits of the programme in their different locations.
Alhaji Olanrewaju assured that the certificates obtained will be sent forward to the Federation of International Freight Forwarders (FIATA) and that it is recognized both in Nigeria and internationally.
“I want to ask you to be good ambassadors of CRFFN and let the awareness begin, like we have said that freight forwarding is an international business and it has to be done with international best practices, what you have got here today will be sent to FIATA for certification and you are the first to be certified as a diploma holder in freight forwarding in Nigeria”
“Please when you go out there kindly tell the other member what you have seen here, more are still coming” he said.
The CRFFN boss also lamented that over 90% of the job of freight forwarding in Nigeria has been taken over by foreigners and multinationals while the so called individual clearing and forwarding agents as a result of lack of adequate certification and training are only jostling for the remaining 10%, according to him, this is why clearing agents remain poor.
He however assured that with the completion of the professional course the table is going to turn around in favour of Nigerian freight forwarders.
“It is not that we don’t know the job, but we have been using raw skill without the certificates to boost our C.V, to some in Nigeria, they might not see it as anything now but I can assure you that internationally that is all they need to see” he assured
Also speaking at the sent off ceremony, the director of education planning and research for the CRFFN, Barrister Alban Igwe explained that out of the 17 people that registered for the program, 15 were very active and that all their certificates were sent to the NITT where 12 among them were certified and sent back to the council.
Meanwhile, participants at the just- concluded programme have instituted a new body known as the Guild of Chief Executives of Freight Forwarding Companies in Nigeria (GUCEFF). The new group was instituted in order to continue to articulate recurrent changes facing freight forwarding companies with a view to fostering joint actions and proffering solutions.
An interim executive committee has been listed to pilot the affairs of the Guild in its formative period and it is to be headed by NAGAFF President, Mr. Eugene Nweke, Hajia Bola Muse as vice president, Olumide Fakanlu as Secretary, Chief Peter Obi as Treasurer and Barrister Tino Buoro as the legal adviser to the group.
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