The rift among freight forwarding associations over the collection of Practitioners Operating Fees (POF) is gradually reverberating at the associations’ chapter levels, as the Kirikiri Lighter Terminal Chapter of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) and National Council Managing Director Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) have said that members of the Association of Licensed Customs Agents(ANLCA) have backed out from the regularly meetings by members of all the associations at chapter level.
The rift among freight forwarding associations over the collection of Practitioners Operating Fees (POF) is gradually reverberating at the associations’ chapter levels, as the Kirikiri Lighter Terminal Chapter of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) and National Council Managing Director Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) have said that members of the Association of Licensed Customs Agents(ANLCA) have backed out from the regularly meetings by members of all the associations at chapter level.
Speaking exclusively with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos at two separate interviews, executives of NAGAFF and NCMDLCA confirmed that members of ANLCA at the KLT chapter have been acting funny.
Vice Chairman of NAGAFF, KLT chapter; Chief Isiaiah Okonkwo told our correspondent that ANLCA is on its own at the chapter level.
"There is disunity at the chapter level among freight forwarding associations at KLT"
According to him, the meeting that normally holds at NAGAFF secretariat at KLT has been jettisoned by members of ANLCA, he added that in the last one month, other associations namely: AREFFN, NCMDLCA and NAGAFF have been meeting without members of ANLCA.
Okonkwo reiterated that ANLCA has been on their own just because of selfish interest adding that other associations at KLT can survive without their input.
The NAGAFF vice chairman added that “if we are fighting for a common goal at the chapter level, I think we should remove our personal interest because we want something that can benefit the general public , the freight forwarding sub sector of the maritime industry and the economy of Nigeria"
"There is no way we can achieve a common goal where a group like ANLCA decided to stay out of the whole process"
"We join hands together to interface with the customs at KLT, Shittu and Eugene are working together in order to achieve a common goal at the national level, but collection of the POF has brought about fraction among everybody", he confirmed.
Also confirming the development to our correspondent, Chairman, NCMDLCA at the same chapter, Mr. Collins Mordi said that his national executives have instructed that they should not relate with members of ANLCA at chapter level.
He said that “we are given instruction that anything that concerns ANLCA we should not be part of it based on CRFFN recommendations and the way ANLCA is behaving as regards the fee".
He said that was the genesis of the crisis at chapter level noting that the other associations have agreed to work without ANLCA.
"As we speak, the meetings that we held in recent time does not include ANLCA members at KLT based on the fact on ground", Mordi stated.
The NCMDLCA chairman also said that members of ANLCA did not show any sign of remorse, pointing out that indeed ANLCA is sabotaging the process of POF collection.
"They are the one sabotaging the process of POF collection and the situation we find ourselves at KLT is necessary because there is nothing we can do without the instruction from the national level"
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