The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has admonished all practicing freight forwarders and their clients to abide by the regulations of the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON).
NAGAFF made this known in a press release signed by its founder, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam.
The association expressed worry that practitioners have continuously flouted SON rules, always trying to circumvent the rules rather than avoiding circumstances that lead to sanctions including seizure of goods by SON.
“SON as a regulatory agency of the government has the mandate to ensure that all goods imported, exported and manufactured in Nigeria adhere to approved standards and quality assurance certification. It is important to remind all practitioners that it shall be our duty to inform and educate our clients as to the need to respect and obey the regulatory requirements of the organization.
“It is very regrettable that we have been conducting ourselves in a manner that is detrimental to the investments of our clients while enriching other countries who for their personal gains may have turned Nigeria to a dumping ground for fake, adulterated and inferior goods.
“The need for patriotism must be our watchword to right the wrongs in Nigeria. NAGAFF is of the opinion that the mantra of change must catch up with everybody to drive the potentials of our great country” the report stated.
Meanwhile, NAGAFF has also directed the management of PTML Terminal to study the Section 28 of the Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) Act on the issue of access cards for port entry.
The Association had earlier written to the management of the terminal to express its dissatisfaction and the Terminal duly sent its reply, but NAGAFF maintained that,
“Having gone through your letter we still insist that your deliberate attempt to preclude certified freight forwarders from gaining entry into your terminal is against the law of this country”
