Dr. Frank Ukor (President, AREFF)
Dr. Frank Ukor (President, AREFF)
The Council has not actually finished the registration, it says for now it is only ANLCA that has met the requirements and conditions. In December, they told us that they want all associations to have operational vehicles and functional offices, and now they have given us six months to put all these things in place and I believe before the six months most of the associations would have met the requirements and then be registered. When I heard it, I was not moved at all because these things were not there initially, they just came up with it and ours is to ensure that we put all these things in place, it is when we have put all the requirements in place and they still say they will not register us that we will know what to do. We will get funds to do all these things, but then the Council also has a role to play, running associations cost a lot of money, so they have to make provisions and give the associations money since the Federal Government is funding the Council, or they should allow the cargo clearing due to commence. If we collect the dues for just a month, we will put these things in place. However I have no qualms at all with the way the Council is running its business, as far as I am concerned. they are doing well for now, but still, let them inaugurate the freight forwarders consultative forum.
Olorogun A.I Ugwi (ANLCA, PTML chapter)
All these other associations apart from the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents are all breakaways and formed by those who wished to have big names for themselves without due representation for the agents. Competition should only have arrived from among membership of an association; genuine competition should arise from what you have to give to the maritime industry and not for personal satisfaction. I was invited into the Council of Managing Directors in 1993 when the association first started, but I told them I don’t want to do it because I am a managing director of my own company in ANLCA already and I don’t have to break away. I am satisfied with the way the CRFFN is handling the issue and I believe it will bring about discipline and genuine representation for the maritime industry.
Fidelis Ugbomeh [Journalist]
One of the conditions before registration as a freight forwarder or any association is that they are to have offices or branches throughout the country, but some of the associations do not have such on ground, for instance there are some association with one or two branches in Lagos and as a result of that they are not known .To a large extent, the CRFFN may be correct for its decision on who is qualified and who is not. To that extent, I think the council is justified.
Benjamin Agbo [Dockworker]
The various associations are justified to be part of the council, because they are all stakeholders and they have their own inputs. It is time the Minister of Transport intervened in the situation to clear the air of who should be registered and who should not, so that if the other associations are qualified to operate, then there will be more professional bodies to run the activities of the port.
Mr.Olusegun Thompson [Clearing Agent]
If the governing council knows in the first place that some of the associations are not qualified, why did they grant them licenses before coming out with the verdict that of some of them are not qualified? The council should get their act right so that it will not look as if it been premeditated. In the first place, why did they give the NAGAFF and AREFF license if the know that they do not meet the requirement and if they are truly justified why didn’t they withdraw the licensee ever since .Fine ANLCA should be oldest and biggest association ,because of its wide outreach, but it’s a gradual thing ,most importation and clearing is being done in Lagos State and you don’t compare a 50 year- old company with a 20 year- old company .In my own opinion ,they are not truly justified, the CRFFN should get their act right and let things work for all and sundry.
Mr.Chuks Okereafor [Terminal Operator]
In this case, I think the government should come in to analyze the various association or bodies of freight forwarders and licensed customs agents so that they can have a common goals and objectives. Whether it is ANLCA that is recognized or it is NAGAFF, it all falls back to the shipping companies and terminal operators and also affects port charges. Everybody is interested for one reason or the other. Government should come in and take the right decision on the matter at hand. It does not really matter if the council is justified or not.
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