By Loveth Anyaegbunam
The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has called for the deregistration of four associations accredited by the Council for the Registration of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria(CRFFN).
The associations are: Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN), National Association of Freight Forwarders and Consolidators (NAFFAC), and National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA).
Speaking at a media briefing on Monday, the president of NAGAFF, Chief Tochukwu Ezisi, said these associations have continuously undermined the leadership of CRFFN out of envy.
He cited a recent scenario where the associations collectively went to court to stop the current Registrar/CEO , Kingsley Igwe from functioning, describing it as a sabotage against the reforms of the Federal Government and a challenge to the authority of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola.
He said,” Government should investigate the economic and regulatory sabotage being carried out under the guise of activism”
The latest dispute according to the NAGAFF President stemmed from a court judgment allegedly obtained by Mr. Lucky Amiwero, which claims that CRFFN lacks authority to regulate customs licenced agents and collect Practitioners Operating Fees (POF).
NAGAFF’s call for deregistration is based on the associations’ resistance to CRFFN’s authority and their alleged undermining of its leadership.
He claimed that ANLCA had long resisted CRFFN’s establishment, even proposing a counter bill at the National Assembly
Ezisi, while claiming that the spectacle of envy from other associations against the CRFFN now is because the Registrar was appointed from NAGAFF, added that the Council had filed a stay of action against the ruling stopping the collection of POF by the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, thereby rendering the ruling unenforceable.
He said NAGAFF as a group is now poised to defend its own- Kingsley Igwe, the Registrar, by passing a vote of confidence on the leadership of CRFFN, highlighting milestone of the Council under him as training 1,000 freight forwarders in 2025 and stakeholders’ collaboration in one year with over N7billion budget in his control.
NAGAFF said it remains committed to the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
MMS Plus reports that the four accredited associations went to court to challenge the process of the appointment of the Registrar by the Ministry which was said to be evidently against due process and the provisions of the CRFFN Act of 2007.
Igwe’s appointment was said to be through the back door, breaching all known laid down protocols often followed and cited in engagement of a new Registrar.
The associations are seen as standing for the truth to guarantee the sustainability of CRFFN while positioning it for a more impactful regulatory role in the future.
MMS Plus further reports that what has also cast a blight on the leadership of Mr. Igwe is his powerless control of his office and the tendency to do the biddings of the some forces which has seen him on an endless push for the marginalization of some workers in his office.
