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The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) called for the delisting of four rival freight forwarding associations, accusing them of regulatory sabotage, hypocrisy, and political vendetta against the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).
NAGAFF National President, Chief Tochukwu Ezisi, on Monday during a press conference at the association’s headquarters, demanded the immediate deregistration of the groups and warned against a calculated attempt to derail federal government reforms in the maritime sector.
Addressing journalists, Chief Ezisi said NAGAFF could no longer remain silent as the freight forwarding profession is dragged into disrepute by “a cabal of opportunistic actors” hiding behind a court judgment obtained by Mr. Lucky Amiwero of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA).
He accused four CRFFN accredited associations – Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), National Association of Air Freight Forwarders and Consolidators (NAFFAC), Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN), and National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) of seizing the judgment to undermine the CRFFN despite being well aware that the Council had appealed the ruling and filed a stay of execution.
“It is ironic and shameful that Mr. Amiwero himself, who secured the judgment, has disassociated from the manner in which these associations are now exploiting it. This alone exposes their opportunism, lack of consistency, and political desperation,” Ezisi declared.
The NAGAFF President remarked the public that ANLCA in particular, has a long history of hostility towards the CRFFN, including efforts to push a counter-bill in the National Assembly aimed at rendering the Council ineffective. He noted that several past CRFFN elections were challenged in court by these same actors, a pattern which he described as “a consistent rebellion against regulatory order.”
According to Ezisi, the latest crisis has nothing to do with the rule of law or professional integrity. Instead, it is being driven by resentment over the appointment of Mr. Kingsley Igwe, a former Secretary of NAGAFF, as Registrar of CRFFN.
“His emergence is not the legal problem they claim; it is their political headache. They have failed to stop him professionally, so now they have turned to litigation as a weapon of vendetta,” he stated.
He went further to urge the federal government to launch a comprehensive investigation into what he described as economic and regulatory sabotage being masked as activism by the dissenting associations.
“These associations have continually failed in their statutory financial obligations to the Council, yet they are the loudest voices questioning its legitimacy. Their credibility is in tatters, and their actions are grossly irresponsible,” the statement read.
The NAGAFF President also raised concerns about outdated operational structures, stressing that both ANLCA and NCMDLCA must urgently reform themselves to comply with the provisions of the new Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Act 2023.
“You cannot continue to benefit from a regulatory system that you constantly undermine and attempt to destroy,” Ezisi asserted.
NAGAFF called on the CRFFN to consider deregistering the four associations and to formally request the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to withdraw their certificates of incorporation. According to the association, this drastic measure is necessary to safeguard national interest and restore order within the freight forwarding sector.
Despite the turbulence, Ezisi offered glowing praise for the current leadership of CRFFN under Mr. Kingsley Igwe, describing his performance as exceptional in under a year.
He noted that Igwe had significantly diversified the Council’s funding sources beyond the Practitioner Operating Fee (POF), launched the training of 1,000 freight forwarders in 2025 with 300 already successfully trained and introduced vital digital reforms.
“We pass a vote of absolute confidence in Mr. Igwe’s leadership and applaud the support of the Hon. Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, CON. This administration is restoring professionalism and national service to freight forwarding in Nigeria,” Ezisi said.
