The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and the entire leadership of the Ministry have been commended for the commitment to organize the upcoming Governing Council elections for the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), a decision which addresses the lacuna that was created at CRFFN since the expiration of the last Governing Council in November, 2020.
One of the biggest developments in the upcoming polls is the move to have the process open to individual members of CRFFN as it gives more qualified people opportunities, curbs the practice of godfatherism and the high level gimmicks of some freight forwarding groups.
Amid the politicking, the bigshot associations; Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) have realised that some independent candidates could gain access into the Council as the era of sharing formula and permutations cannot be relived.
NAGAFF Founder, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam has put forward ten candidates to project NAGAFF interests but the notable exemption of the Association’s incumbent President, Chief Increase Uche and another former President, Chief Eugene Nweke leaves a lot to be desired about the current NAGAFF camp. Both individuals have already purchased the forms and started galvanizing support from NAGAFF, ANLCA, other associations, as well as private individuals.
CRFFN appears to be the biggest beneficiaries in the heated political environment with projections that it could rake in close to N100million via sale of nomination forms at N500,000 each, fresh registration of CRFFN members which increased by more than 500 members last week alone and updating old members registration at N10,000 per annum for over 4,000 practitioners.
Despite the claims that organizing the impending election in Abuja poses logistics constraints, having the election in Abuja may also prove to be a masterstroke as it could limit the influx of riffraffs and touts that could have been easily mobilized to cause chaos in Lagos.
Meanwhile, as part of efforts to collaborate with the Transport Ministry in a bid to attain hitch-free elections organized in a credible manner, last week the African Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON) announced that in partnership with other freight forwarding associations, it has constituted an Election Taskforce to curb possible malpractices.
This group of like-minded people across the various associations have formed this taskforce which is a demonstration of the togetherness among freight forwarding practioners with the singular goal of having a credible Governing Council election that would lead to a stable and more productive CRFFN.
As the maritime sector counts down to what could be the most keenly contested CRFFN Governing Council elections, it is pertinent to state that subsequent elections should be fully automated in line with global best practices.
