CRFFN STRATEGISES OVER NEW CEMA

CRFFN STRATEGISES OVER NEW CEMA      1
The battle for the soul of the new Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) may have been flagged-off as the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) last week held a strategic meeting with leaders of all the freight forwarding associations with a view to forming a united front to protect the Council’s interests.

CRFFN STRATEGISES OVER NEW CEMA      1
The battle for the soul of the new Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) may have been flagged-off as the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) last week held a strategic meeting with leaders of all the freight forwarding associations with a view to forming a united front to protect the Council’s interests.
Shipping Position Weekly had scooped about three weeks ago that the National Task Force on Customs Reforms which is the arrow-head of the new CEMA and that it has commenced collation of inputs from stakeholders.
But, apparently not wanting to be caught napping and threatened by the controversial new customs law, the CRFFN last week held a top -secret meeting in Lagos with national presidents of the freight forwarding associations.
Our sources confirmed that the meeting was attended by national presidents of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agent (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu, president of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF)Mr Eugene Nweke, his counterpart from the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents , Chief Festus Ejiofor as well as the president of Association of Registered Freight Forwarders (AREFF), Dr Frank Ukoh. It was presided over by the Council’s vice chairman, Dr Sam Onyemelukwe.
Snippets from the meeting indicated that a position was reached on the draft of the new CEMA and that the council may have also briefed its lawyers on the next line of action.
Although he refused to give details of what the positions are, CRFFN’s registrar, Sir Mike Jukwe confirmed the meeting and also added that its positions would soon be made public.
“At the moment, we have reached a position on the draft, that was why we directed the freight forwarding associations not to comment as individual bodies, we wanted to collate their perspectives, agree with them as the Council and aggregate them as the common position of freight forwarders, and that is what we did”, he stressed.
When asked for insight into areas of disagreement in the draft, Jukwe said CRFFN’s stand would soon be made public.
A controversial portion of the draft is the one that deals with requirements for licensing as a customs agents. Against expectations, the new law does not make any reference to membership of the Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) as a pre- condition for obtaining customs license.  
The position of CRFFN to the management of Nigeria Customs Service on issuance of customs license has always been that, for any one or any organisation to be licensed by Customs, he/she/it must be a registered freight forwarder.
But, Sir Jukwe gave a hint that CRFFN is taking a holistic look at the draft and that, as a council, its members who are the practitioners may be adversely affected if the draft is allowed to sail through the way it is being pushed.
“It is attempting to create another regulatory agency, going by some of the provisions that we have seen in the draft, we (CRFFN) are the regulatory body in all issues bordering on freight forwarding practice in Nigeria, and you know that licensed customs business is part of freight forwarding”, he pointed out.  
Another controversial area in the draft is that it seeks to outlaw engagement of agents to carry out pre-shipment or destination inspection of Nigeria’s imports. The contract of the three destination inspection agents is expected to end in December 2012.