- NAGAFF highlights many flaws of CRFFN, reaffirms partnership
The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has described the utilization of wrong account numbers as the biggest challenge inhibiting the repayments of freight forwarders’ Practitioners Operating Fees (POF).
CRFFN’s Acting Registrar, Mrs. Chinyere Uromta, revealed this during an engagement with the national executives of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), at the association’s headquarters in Lagos, on Monday.
According to Uromta, the leadership of CRFFN is aware that there is an outstanding remittance of this declarant’s and the reasons are due to wrong account numbers submitted initially and some other challenges.
Her words: “We would like to assure you that efforts are in place to commence payment of all outstanding and ensure, going forward, payment of this ‘gazetted’ fee, when due. Kindly bear with us.”
The CRFFN boss, however, sought the collaboration of NAGAFF in the registration of members at the Council as well as driving sensitization on POF payments.
While expressing regret that the Council was unable to organize training workshops in 2023, Uromta assured that plans have commenced to hold free training programmes for Nigerian freight forwarders in 2024.
Uromta maintained that the core mandate of the Council is to professionalize the freight forwarding sector by developing standards, providing education and training programmes for freight forwarders.
“In 2020, the Council for the first time determined the minimum qualification required to practice freight forwarding in Nigeria which is the FIATA Diploma in Freight Forwarding and Supply Chain Management or its equivalent These programmes qualifies you to practice freight forwarding in Nigeria We equally have the Executive Professional Diploma (EPD) programme which serves as an executive pathway for Certificate of Experience as provided in the CRFFN Act. The main purpose of the programme is to validate the experience and update the knowledge of Executive Officers in the freight forwarding sector through an intensive one week residential programme.”
“The University of Lagos, (UNILAG) and some other institutions of higher learning in Nigeria have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MDA) with the Council to deliver training programmes which cuts across Freight Forwarding, Logistics and Supply chain management. I am highly optimistic that these trainings, if well harnessed will contribute tremendously to the growth of your Association and the economy at large. We hope members will continuously take advantage of these programmes and build professional capacities,” she said.
On his part, the Deputy National President, NAGAFF Headquarters, Mr. Simeon Nwonu, described CRFFN’s removal from government funding as a blessing that should spark the organization to become more productive and focused on its core mandate.
Nwonu encouraged the Council to be more proactive in providing leadership and propagating issues affecting freight forwarding in the nation.
“CRFFN has been sitting on goldmine but never realized it. Honestly, I believe God has blessed the Council by removing the federal government budget. The maritime sector is like a warfare, you have to fight for relevance and actively engage the other stakeholders and agencies at the ports.”
“At some point it appeared that Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) was playing CRFFN’s role in addressing freight forwarding challenges. From the CRFFN’s Registrar’s speech, we have seen the Council’s areas of development as well as areas that requires more partnerships,” Nwonu stated.
Meanwhile, the NAGAFF Deputy President, Seaports, Mr. Afam Chukwuma, proposed a joint committee between the association and the Council to engage frequently on the myriad of issues affecting the sector.
He, however, assured that the association holds CRFFN dear to its heart even though the group has been disappointed with the way the Council has operated over the years.
Afam observed that updated CRFFN records are part of the prerequisite for elections at NAGAFF, stressing that the action underscores the level of regard the association has for the Council.
Also speaking, the NAGAFF Secretary, Mr. Kingsley Igwe, lamented that current curriculum of CRFFN is more academic than practical, arguing that it wasn’t designed to enable Nigerian freight forwarders overcome the peculiar challenges at the nation’s ports.
Noting the multitude of backlash from freight forwarders over CRFFN’s handling of POF and the absence of training programmes, Igwe encouraged the Council to endear itself to practitioners by providing a 6-month free professional training.
