Freight forwarding and customs brokers associations have expressed divergent positions on the recent statement by the Council for the Regulations of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) that the Council has closed its doors on further registration and accreditation of any association, apart from the five already registered.
Registrar of the Council, Barr. Sam Nwakohu had told our correspondent exclusively that the council will not accredit or register any freight forwarding associations aside the five already registered, while urging any association that aspires to be accredited to merge with the existing registered five.
However, reacting to the statement of the registrar, the President African Professionals Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON); Otunba Frank Oguojemite berates the decision council, stating that some of the non-accredited associations are far well performing than the accredited ones.
Ogunojemite in a telephone chat with our correspondent said the association cannot be forced to be merged with existing registered associations under CRFFN, stating that the Nigeria constitution has given every one freedom of association.
The APFFLON president further berated the council, stating that many freight forwarders are more knowledgeable than those in the council.
“If the council is functioning as it were, there won’t be need for the recent task force that are being set up by the various accredited associations”, he noted.
He said with or without accreditation, APFFLON will continue to advocate for ‘ease of doing business’ in the port.
According to him, “I do not see any importance in the issue of accreditation, first we know that most of these associations are older than CRFFN itself and there are no parameters that the CRFFN used in accrediting them.
And most of us in the industry are more knowledgeable than the CRFFN themselves. The truth is we know the associations that are functional and those which deserve to be scrapped despite their accreditation.
“Thirdly, accreditation or no accreditation is a secondary factor and the primary factor is the Constitution of the country which stipulates that you have freedom of association, So CRFFN’s is not the only accreditation in the world.
“Don't forget that African Association of Freight Forwarders functions in other African countries, so getting accreditation by Nigeria’s CRFFN is just by the way. APFLON itself is an advocate of ‘ease of doing business’ so we cannot be intimidated by any accreditation or no accreditation, the most important for us it's to deliver to the people”
“So, we are not intimidated because those who have been accredited will give kudos to what we are doing in the industry and we will continue to forget ahead and continue to work under the ambit of law”
“And if the CRFFN is functioning, there will be no need for us to have the various task team set up by the associations, because the aim of the associations is to protect their members and when those that are supposed to protect them are not functioning, they protect themselves” he said.
On his part, the National Secretary of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Alhaji. Babatunde Mukaila supported the CRFFN, stating that there are criteria the associations must meet before they can be registered or accredited.
Mukaila however condemned the planned move of the council to bring all the associations under one umbrella, stating that there is no country where we have a single association of freight forwarders and licensed customs agents or brokers.
“Under the Nigeria constitution, there is freedom of association and under the CRFFN there are set guidelines for an association to be registered and I do know that one of the criteria is national spread, so if you ask me, if any association meets the criteria I believe they should be registered”
But, about bringing all the association under one umbrella, we have traveled wide and far and have met all freight forwarders globally, there is no country where you have one association, it is not done, we have house agents, freight forwarder and custom broker.
“The closest will be what we have in America which is the National Custom Broker and Freight Forwarding Association of America(NCBFFAA) where you have the broker and the freight forwarding together, but the distinction is still clearly seen in the acronym. So personally I don’t think that is possible it will be an exercise in futility” he said.
Speaking also, the National Secretary of National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA); Mr. Festus Ukwu also supported the CRFFN, stating that it has the right to register or not register any association. He urged the yet-to-be-registered association to meet the criteria for accreditation.
“CRRFN has the impetus to register an association if they like, I am sure that if any association has met the criteria for them to get registered, CRFFN will register them and if they see that they have not met the criteria, nobody will force them to get registered”
He also however condemned the decision to bring all the association under one umbrella.
“Association is voluntary in the Nigeria constitution and you are free to associate with whatever association you desire”, he argued,
On his part, the Public Relations Officer of NAGAFF, Mr. Stanley Ezenga opined that even the five accredited association are too many for the industry, while urging that all associations be merged into two.
In his words: “Even the five associations that they have accredited are too many, if you know that you align yourself as clearing and forwarding; that is ANLCA you collapse into ANLCA, and if you know you align yourself into freight forwarding, you collapse into NAGAFF, so for them to say they are not accrediting more associations, I think they are in order”.
Discussion about this post