NAGAFF Founder, Aniebonam Calls For Caution In Reviving CRFFN

Even as frontline practitioners and leaders of freight forwarding associations battle to revive the embattled Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding In Nigeria (CRFFN), founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF;) Dr Boniface Aniebonam has called for extreme caution in carrying out the exercise.

Aniebonam who is one of the arrowheads in the creation of the CRFFN told Shipping Position Daily in an exclusive chat in Lagos on Monday that there is need to seek impetus of the government through the Minister of Transport as the supervisory authourity for the council.

He also questioned the sincerity of the players in reviving the council, saying that they are the same faces that have led the council for four years without tangible achievements.

Aniebonam advised that the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council should be approached as a pioneer member of the council in order to give impetus to the efforts being made to rescue the CRFFN by the Chairman of the last governing council, Alhaji Hakeem Olanrewaju.

According to him: "The correct way to give the council direction is clearly stated in Section 5 of the council's Act where the Minister has a role to play as the supervisory ministry"

"Whatever we do must have the impetus of the government, I will rather say that the easiest way is to involve the Ministry and ask for the involvement of the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council who is a pioneer member of the council to invite critical stakeholders and discuss issues"

"It’s not that we cannot handle issues by ourselves, but something is telling me that the first and second council are planning a way to come back again", Aniebonam alleged.

Speaking further, he said that, "if we continue to see the same people who have had almost four years without achieving anything coming back, then we should be asking maybe they forgot anything".

Aniebonam however commended Alhaji Hakeem Olanrewaju for deeming it fit to begin efforts to revive the council and for calling for a meeting with freight forwarders.

According to him, anybody who has intentions of reviving the council should be supported while further research must also be conducted so that the CRFFN does not go into the second round of bastardization.

"I have sympathy for the chairman of the council, Hakeem Olanrewaju, he is somebody I consider with a lot of integrity in terms of having the mindset of a better practice, he is somebody that is trustworthy, otherwise I will be asking questions as to whether the first and second council forgot anything in the council they want to come and pick", he stressed.

"If you are telling me now that we need to come back and donate money to the council, then I will ask you what happened to the funds that went into the council for the past four years" he said.

Shipping Position Daily recalls that twice in the last one month, some practising freight forwarders led by the immediate past chairman of the Council have met in Lagos to prioffer solution to the problems of the ailing council.

The latest meeting was held last weekend and at the instance of the immediate past chairman of the CRFFN governing council; Alhaji Hakeem Olanrewaju.

While the first meeting was attended by freight forwarders who were members of the first and second governing council last week’s meeting was attended by leaders of all the registered freight forwarding associations under the council last.

Among other resolutions, the meeting agreed to set up a seven-man committee to fashion out a revival programme for the Council.

Members of the committee are: Chief Ernest Elochukwu, Chief Peter Obih, Alhaji Hakeem Olarenwaju and Alhaji Aminu Kaye.Others are; President of NAGAFF, Chief Eugene Nweke, Alhaji Moshood Tijani and Chief C.A.T Agubamah.