…Henry Njoku beats Increase Uche to Vice Chairman
The much anticipated inauguration of the Governing Council of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) by the Minister of Transportation, Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi held yesterday in Abuja as Alhaji Abubakar Tsanni emerged the new Chairman of the Governing Council.
While Tsanni, a government appointee on the board emerged Chairman, a chieftain of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Chief Henry Njoku emerged the Vice Chairman of the Council.
Although the appointment of the Chairman was in clear violation of the CRFFN Act which stipulates that the Chairman and the Vice Chairman of the Council shall be elected from the elected freight forwarding practitioners who shall preside over the affairs of the Council for a two year period.
It was gathered that while the Council members had assembled for inauguration, the Minister however, arrived at the venue and demanded to appoint a Chairman that he could be able to work with contrary to the expectation of the members.
Attempts by the freight forwarders to draw the attention of the Minister to the provisions of the Act on the modalities to elect a Chairman for the Council was practically rebuffed as the Minister was said to have shouted them down saying that he had come to the venue to inaugurate the board and not to seek members’ advice on who should be the Chairman.
It was gathered that the Minister threatened to invite the legal adviser of the Ministry to the venue should they want to quote the CRFFN Act.
Our correspondent learnt that after several nominations were made by members and turned down by Amaechi, he finally approved the nomination of Alhaji Abubakar Tsanni.
The Minister thereafter allowed election into the office of the Vice Chairman of the Council which later saw Chief Henry Njoku of ANLCA beating the National President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Chief Increase Uche by 21 votes to 8 to clinch the position of Vice Chairman.
This inauguration of the members of the CRFFN Governing Council was presided over by the Minister of Transportation, Amaechi.
