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…As Amaechi Hosts Governing Council Members
By Kenneth Jukpor
Three months after the election of members of the Governing Council for the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), MMS Plus newspaper has gathered that the inauguration of the board would take place on Wednesday, next week.
The inauguration is projected to hold barring any last minute changes when the Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi holds a crucial meeting with the elected members of the Governing Council of CRFFN in Abuja on Tuesday, next week.
Our source who pleaded anonymity confirmed that the eventual inauguration would take place on Wednesday, next week.
The invitation for the meeting with the Minister was contained in a letter from the Ministry of Transportation signed by the Director, Maritime Services, Alhaji Sanni Galadanchi.
Speaking to MMS Plus on this development, a member of the Governing Council of CRFFN, Mr. Adeyinka Bakare expressed delight that the Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi finally called for a meeting with the board members.
Although, he couldn’t confirm if the meeting would lead to the formal inauguration of the CRFFN Governing Council almost three months after the members of the Council emerged via a peaceful election, he noted that it was a good omen for the freight forwarding practice in the country.
Bakare who is also the President General of the Nigerian Association of Air Freight Forwarders & Consolidators (NAFFAC), said the members of the Governing Council have resolved to put away their differences with respect to the varying associations and prioritize the interest of the profession.
“I don’t want us to preempt what is going to happen during or after the meeting with the Minister but I’m very sure that the outcome would be in the best interest of the profession” he said.
However, he expressed optimism that the practice of freight forwarding in the country would take a positive turn.
“We have resolved to bury our ego and make sacrifice for the profession. We would let the interest of freight forwarding practice come first because that is the only way to move forward. Just like the politicians say they have to put the interest of the party first before personal interest, we have to do the same at the Governing Council” he added.
Meanwhile, the only woman on the CRFFN Governing Council, Mrs. Princess Chi Ezeh, told our correspondent that the meeting with Amaechi should precede the election of the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Governing Council before the inauguration.
Ezeh equally expressed joy that the long anticipated inauguration of the Governing Council would finally take place.
Recall that a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Chief Adebayo Sarumi recently called on the freight forwarding practitioners in Nigeria to set aside their selfishness and allow the Act establishing CRFFN work in order to enhance the profession in the country.
Sarumi who made this appeal in his remarks at an event to mark the Prince Olayiwola Shittu Colloquium @ 68 in Lagos, stated that the CRFFN bill was developed in a bid to change the ugly perception about the freight forwarding profession in the country.
He lamented that the growth of profession had stalled over the years because of the challenges facing CRFFN occasioned by the power tussle between the various freight forwarding groups.
