By Kenneth Jukpor
African Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON) has condemned the gross inefficiencies amid the screening processes ahead of the elections into the governing board of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).
The President of the association, Otunba Frank Ogunojemite made this remark while briefing newsmen yesterday, arguing that the lack of adequate preparation for the election could lead to election irregularities.
Ogunojemite informed that as at 12:30pm of Monday afternoon the Council in Lagos was yet to screen any of the candidates and voters as freight forwarders amassed in numbers without any clear arrangement for the screening exercise.
His words: “As at 12:30pm yesterday only two laptops and four officials were on ground to attend to the numerous freight forwarders in Lagos. At that time they were yet to have a direction and this could lead to inconsistency in the screening process because the screening exercise is only scheduled for two days. If they don’t have resources how will they be able to screen properly”
Speaking further, the APFFLON boss lampooned the Registrar of the Council, Barr. Samuel Nwakohu and the Transport Minister, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi over failure to get back official vehicles and properties still in the possession of the outgoing board.
Ogunojemite noted that the directive of Nwakohu that all returning candidates contesting for the upcoming elections should their vehicles is erroneous because it implies that those board members who aren’t contesting should keep the vehicles.
“These vehicles and other assets are properties of CRFFN. As soon as the tenure of the board members expired they should have returned the vehicles. It’s the property of CRFFN and it’s laughable that the vehicles are being retrieved from the outgoing board members who are contesting again as it implies that those that aren’t contesting could keep theirs. These assets were gotten with taxpayers’ money. No one has a right to keep such vehicle after his or her tenure expired,” he said.
He, however, acknowledged that a seamless screening process was observed in Port Harcourt and Abuja where the exercise commenced by 10am.
According to Ogunojemite, the poor handling of the screening process in Lagos is another smirk of incompetence on the part of the CRFFN management even though the election is being conducted by the Ministry of Transportation.
He encouraged the Transport Ministry to rejig the management of CRFFN in a bid to have more competent officials and top-notch service delivery.
