Dr. Frank Ukor (President, AREFFN)
I will say that the CRFFN is now waking up to its responsibility, if they had done this initially when they took off, there wouldn’t have been so much agitations and problems from different quarters, but instead of doing this, they were putting the cart before the horse, but now we are happy that they are putting the horse before the cart. So, we are happy for them, but my advice to them is that they should keep it up and not relax on it, because if they relent, people will begin to complain again.
Tunji Obagbo (POTEMAN)
I believe the induction exercise conducted by the CRFFN recently is just to have something to do so that it will not appear as if they are redundant, but looking at it critically, what does the law say? Whoever wants to be a freight forwarder under the council must have undergone training, so can we say that it is all the freight forwarders that were inducted on that very day those were trained? The train the trainer programme should not be carried out by the executives of the council, but by qualified professionals from higher institutions in Nigeria, it is not right for you to bring in a foreigner who does not understand the Nigerian terrain and ask him to conduct TOT, there are training institutions in the maritime sector that the job can be contracted to and they will carry it out very well, we have the IFFN, FFA, POTEMAN as well as others, these institutions have been turning out qualified freight forwarders in the past years. My advice to the CRFFN however is that they should imbibe the local content approach and I am sure the existing institutions are ready to work with them.
Mr. Bolade Oladipo (Asst. Nat. Sec. ANLCA)
So far so good, I will say that they are not doing badly, I will say that they are on course, especially with the induction ceremony which was done for about 4,000 freight forwarders in Lagos recently, I was personally there and I think it is good step forward. I will encourage them that since they have started like this, they should carry on with the scheme, and by so doing register every qualified freight forwarder into the council.
Mazi Aloysius Obichieozor (Freight Forwarder)
Fortunately, I am involved and the organization that I represent which is the Council of Managing Directors of License Customs Agents is also involved in initiating the Act that found the CRFFN. But unfortunately some people who for one reason or the other feel that they want to make an interest out of it, high jacked it, so as I am speaking to you we are in court, we want the competent court to interpret who a freight forwarder is, until this is done, whatever they are doing is not going to be recognized.
Mr. Francis O Ejakpovi [M.D. Trans-Javi Agencies Ltd]
The council has successfully inducted members which is a good thing as far as international best practice is concerned, but we are still watching to know what will come out of the council and those that have been registered. The council has been in existence for a while now and it is now that they just concluded inducting people as eligible or registered freight forwarders, to me this is very slow. There are lots of problems that agents are facing as regard the port business and I wish and I hope that CRFFN will be able to focus and address such issues. At the moment, we do not have a body or a platform that we can run to when there is crisis, but we hope CRFFN can rise up to such occasion when the need arises, because an organization of this nature is supposed to be the mouthpiece for all registered freight forwarders.
Mr. Joseph Nnamocha [ANLCA Member]
My appraisal of CRFFN in view of the induction is simple, they should be more efficient to address issues that affect and concern the freight forwarders. I was to be inducted that day but right now I do not think that I have my certificate. We are all called inductee and it is assumed that from that day we are inducted and person without certificate is half done. In their role in coordinating freight forwarders in the country, CRFFN should ensure to eradicate and to eliminate fraudster from the system. I also expect them to leave up to world standard so that Nigerian freight forwarders can be recognized anywhere in the world.
Barrister Fred Akhokia [Vice President, NAGAFF]
They have been signed to actualize what the act wants them to do and one of such include the induction member so that those that have been inducted are now registered freight forwarders in Nigeria and also members of the council, from there the council will now start the training of its members which is a pivotal role the council will play in the freight forwarding industry. However, they are moving forward. The next thing now is that by March or April there will be the first set of training which you will agree with me that they have already trained the trainers and the trainers will start training the registered freight forwarders. I know that they will be lots of registered freight forwarders that will be trained on the nitty gritty of freight forwarding and to enhance their professionalism, in other words, the council is moving forward in the right direction.
Mr. Mark Ibanga [Freight Forwarder]
I will say that much have been talked about the council and I want to believe that it is time for a change in the freight forwarding business. As far as I am concerned, CRRFN will transform the lives of freight forwarders in Nigeria because it goes beyond the fact that you are a practicing business man in the maritime sector. Training of practitioners is also what we expect from CRFFN which they had already said will commence in April .However, my own way of assessing the Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria is that it has come to stay and it will provide a platform for freight forwarders to meet the best practice of international standard and we are going somewhere.
Chief Fabian Okafor [Chairman, KLT NAGAFF]
We have been yearning for this body for a very long time and right now it is at our door step, it is left for us to know how we what to operate it because it is not owned by anybody but by the Federal Republic of Nigeria and it is our duty to ensure that it’s alive .I notice that a lot of our freight forwarders do not even know where we are heading until when it is late .Very soon the port environment will change as a result of what CRRFN has on ground. It is not just to have a license it also requires the individual to be qualified in the profession and I do not think we have the right people there but it is a gradual process I mean with time we have the square pegs in the square hole .We believe that CRFFN will stand for good and we must make sure that it stands and it is going to be stronger than what we are seeing today because I know that more people will register to know the benefit of CRFFN.
Mr. Oliver Azubike [Freight Forwarder]
My expectation from CRFFN is that they should tackle issues that surround the clearing business in our port because I expected the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding to contribute by kicking against what happened recently about the shipping companies and terminal operators on the non waiver of demurrage .Let me say that the induction was successful and I want to say that my appraisal of the council should be that it is time to get it right and I know that as a parastatal of the government ,the port will experience a new look and touting will be a thing of the past. My major concern is that CRFFN should also give their support when the so- called shipping companies want to extort agents necessarily and we all will be happy that it has come to help us from the hands of the foreigners.
Discussion about this post