The immediate past governing council chairman of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Alhaji Hakeem Olanrewaju, has kicked against the rumoured tenure elongation by members of the CRFFN governing council, even as he called for fresh election into the council.
According to a statement issued on Friday and sent to Shipping Position Daily, Olanrewaju maintained the legal thing at this period is for CRFFN to release notice of election into the governing council and the electoral guidelines.
He explained that the moves for tenure elongation can be viewed from a point of view of clandestine moves to coaxing the practitioners while the real issue is left unattended to.
“You recall that it was reported in the news where the Governing Council were accused of plotting to extend their tenure by two additional years. Till this moment, there is no official rebuttal to this report. One obvious fact, that must be stated and put straight, is that the Act 16,2007 is an extant law of the Federation, as such pending the conclusion of the amendment process presently on-going at the National Assembly, relevant provisions are extant”,
“Most importantly, the Council remains a professional council with a clear legislative intent and purpose. Therefore, the governing council members are hereby encouraged not to truncate or make mockery of the its two years statutory democratic elective succession, as provided in the act, for mere parochialism”, he argued.
Olanrewaju further reiterated that push by the incumbent governing council members for tenure elongation has triggered ill feelings amongst practitioners especially the non-accredited associations.
“The discourse further noted that, "the funniest aspects of this emerging developments, being the push by the incumbent governing council members for a tenure elongation beginning with them. This move triggered ill feelings amongst the practitioners, especially the unaccredited freight forwarding associations who now accuses the accredited associations as represented in the governing council of "Social Darwinism, suggesting the tactical eliminating process of the weak associations by the privilege stronger associations) an act which is inconsistent with the provisions of the enabling Act 16, 2007. To them as taunted, this is not just a deliberate professional exclusion but a denial of their constitutional rights"
Olanrewaju however urged the management of the council to evolve purposeful and mandatory qualifications and training of practitioners.
“On this premise, I beg to pause here, by pleading with the management of the Council to follow with diligence its duty to evolve a purposeful mandatory qualifications training in earnest. Withdraw the present noticed issued, rather issue a notice in relation to seeking compliance to training and retraining programmes in this regards. Take adequate care not to throw the industry into undue confusion. Do strategic consultation and communicate adequately, you are dealing with professional and not civil servants”
“Stay away from any form of political permutations. Advise the Minister alright and set up mercenaries for immediate elections. Avoid a repeat of what transpired in 2012 of the last Council. Finally, remember the Freight Forwarders has right to investigate and asks questions as to what's happening in and around its regulatory council, yesterday, today, tomorrow and tomorrow” he concluded.
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