Training Of Freight Forwarders Will Soon Be Free If, ----- NIFFCB

The Nigeria Institute of Freight Forwarders and Customs Brokers (NIFFCB) has said that training of freight forwarders will be free-of-charge as soon as the federal government lifts ban on collection of transaction fee by the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN)

President of the institute, Dr. Zebulon Ikokide made this known in a chat with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos Last week.

Ikokide said that lack of fund has made the institute to charge freight forwarders for training , stressing that inadequate fund has affected the institute in the aspect manpower development.

"CRFFN is there to train freight forwarders and that is why it is established and if CRFFN gives us the fund for training, we don't need to charge freight forwarders and that is why we are appealing to government to ensure that the transaction fee that they are talking about is actually collected”.

According to him, collection of transaction fee will enable the institute to have a budget for the training of freight agents, adding that, "if government should fund us through the collection of transaction fee, it will bring about free training for freight forwarders".

"If freight forwarders are contributing for the collection of transaction fee why must they pay fees for training", he asked.

The NIFFCB noted that " one the fund is there people will see the action that will be taken by the institute"

"It is not our intention actually to charge for training of freight forwarders rather what we said was that if government takeover this training , just like how the Nigeria Customs Service is funding the training of customs brokers, like ANLCA"

"If those money are centralise to the institutes then we will never charge freight forwarders to come and power for training"

He further appealed to freight forwarders to take advantage and come out for the training in mass because according to him, there is need know more about charges made by shipping companies and how to work effectively with them.

The NIFFCB president also said that the institute will continue to charge freight forwarders for training , since the government is not forthcoming.

He urged the freight forwarding practitioners to training themselves , with or without government involvement towards funding of NIFFCB.

However, Ikokide called on freight forwarders and customs brokers to inculcate interest of capacity building which he described as a veritable of change in freight forwarding practice.