As a maritime media organisation, we are no doubt passionate about issues and institutions that are germane to the Nigerian maritime industry. This explains our serial devotion of this space to issues regarding the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).
It is apt to recall that, we were there when it was created in 2007 via an Act of the Nigerian National Assembly for the purpose of professionalising freight forwarding in Nigeria,
When it was created, the Council was understandably conceived as the possible solution to the myriad of problems which had militated against freight forwarding and logistics in Nigeria.
However, the CRFFN has had an unfair dose of problems right from birth, all of which have always brought it almost to its knees.
In recent past, we have touched on a myriad of problems that have been confronting the CRFFN, all of which have largely crippled the agency.
We have traced its problems to its origin and we had, at a time, highlighted that the Council have been bogged down by intrigues from the same persons that it was created to serve. Hence, with us, the CRFFN has for different negative reasons almost always been in the news.
In its early years, the quarrel at the CRFFN was about its correct status as either a government agency or a private sector organisation. This led to a few litigations, a few of which are still undecided to date.
At another time, the CRFFN had issues with composition of its governing council membership. It was whether it should executives of the registered freight forwarding associations or it should be populated by registered members, irrespective of their status in their respective registered associations. This rather selfish position led to the inclusion of presidents of the associations at a point in the CRFFN governing council.
Also, at a point in its history, the Council had to battle for funding. It was the paucity of funds for the council that led the then-Minister of Transport; Senator Idris Umar to approve that, the CRFFN should start collecting Transaction Fees (as it was then known) on all imports into the country. This led to the ingenuous creation of what is now known as ‘Practitioners Operations Fees’(POF).
Those who fought for its birth would never have envisaged that the CRFFN, whose birth was hailed by stakeholders, would shortly afterward, be faced with ‘life-threatening’ issues, such as have forced it not to have a governing council for several years and also to become so cash-strapped as not to be able to meet its obligations.
It’s the last ‘fight’ was about the true tenure of the last governing council. This delayed the elections of new governing council members. The matter was later to taken to the Court for adjudication.
The Judge of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja; Justice N.E Maha dismissed the suit seeking for tenure elongation for members of the governing Council.
It is instructive that, the Judge also declared that the interpretation of the Act of the CRFFN allows only for two years’ tenure and not four years.
Sadly, and as is customary with Nigerians when it concerns obedience to court rulings, members of the governing council of the CRFFN initially ignored the ruling.
Apparently buoyed by the ruling, the Minister of Transportation; Mr Rotimi Amaechi gave a directive that elections into the governing council, should be conducted. And going by the directive, by October 9, 2021, a new set of freight forwarders who would represent the interest of the multitude of freight forwarding practitioners for two years ought to have been elected.
This was not to be, until March 9, 2022, when after so much prevarications, 15 freight forwarders were elected.
Instructively, as a build up to the elections, various options were given, the most contentious being the sharing formula of 6:6:1:1:1, which was proposed by the NAGAFF and also accepted by the remaining five freight forwarding associations.
With the benefit of hindsight, if the sharing formula had been accepted, all the freight forwarding associations would have been accommodated in the council. This would have been without prejudice to their strength, spread and popularity.
Perhaps, it was good that the Ministry of Transportation refused the formula as proposed by the associations. How else would we have known that the two associations that failed to win a seat in the new Governing Council.
Read Also: What should be the priority of the CRFFN Governing Council?
Perhaps, the biggest revelation in the election is the emergence of ‘Independent Candidate’ Increase Uche, who against all odds and intimidation won a seat in the CRFFN governing council.
Even though it may be painful that some associations did not make it to the council, we strongly believe that the fact that the contest was thrown open to everyone to compete irrespective of your affiliation was in the best interest of the generality of freight forwarders.
If the 6:6:1: 1:1 sharing formula had been adopted and sued for that elections, it would have disenfranchised some freight forwarders who by their own choice did not join any of the associations. Even though two associations could not make it to the council, it also shows the strength of their membership.
Finally, the brazen incidences of irregularities, especially vote buying and printing of national identity cards by individuals who were contesting, are the lowest points in the elections. It is shameful that the Ministry of Transportation and the CRFFN could not organize a free, credible and transparent election, even after having taken so long a time.
For those who ‘won’ the elections and who will soon be sitting in the governing council, it is important to stress that it is not an opportunity for showing-off. There is a lot to be done in the two years that you would be there. We urge you to go back in history and read about what the CRFFN governing council that was headed by Alhaji Hakeem Olanrewaju achieved within the two years that it was in the saddle.
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