By Joshua Yousouph
The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Mr. Kingsley Igwe has called on stakeholders in the freight forwarding sector to stop perceiving him through the lens of his past affiliation with the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), stressing that he now occupies the office of a regulator for all freight forwarding practitioners, including associations, without bias or favoritism.
Reacting to suggestions that his visits since assuming office have been limited to NAGAFF, Mr. Igwe, in a recent exclusive interview with the Editorial Team of Shipping Position Daily clarified that the council has been engaging all five registered freight forwarding associations which include the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), National Association of Freight Forwarders and Consolidators (NAFFAC), Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN), the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), and NAGAFF.
He emphasized that the council’s engagements have yielded positive results, citing the last training conducted for all freight forwarders, where participants including members of all five associations and even some of their leaders.
“I am not here as a NAGAFF person. I am here as the Registrar and Chief Executive of CRFFN, regulating NAGAFF, ANLCA, AREFFN and all others equally. My administration will not favour any association because of past affiliations. It is not about the person, but the office,” he stressed.
Mr. Igwe explained that some associations have refused to engage with his office due to sentiments linked to his past membership of NAGAFF and the legal challenge to his appointment. He described such sentiments as misplaced and detrimental to the industry.
According to him, formal letters were sent to all associations for various programmes and engagements, but some leaders failed to act on them. He noted that such actions have deprived their members of opportunities, despite the council’s efforts.
The CRFFN boss said the resistance is coming mainly from a few leaders, and not the general membership, adding that direct communications with individual members have been more fruitful. He further emphasized that all associations remain under the regulatory authority of the CRFFN, saying: “Whether they like it or not, they are tied to the industry, and any policy we introduce will affect them. The regulatory link is like an umbilical cord — it cannot be broken.”
