· BPP reverses self
Following the face- off between the governing council members and the Registrar of the Council for the Regulations of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria(CRFFN), Barr Samuel Nwakohu,the door of second tenure of office for him may have been closed as the race for his replacement has begun.
Nwakohu is expected to begin his terminal leave in December and exit the Council in February, 2023 having been appointed for a four year term of office in February, 2019.
So far, interested parties have been lobbying for the position from within the maritime industry and surprisingly, some of the Registrars confidants and ally in the current crisis rocking the Council have been part of the lobbyists.
CRFFN has been crisis-ridden since Nwakohu’s assumed office in 2019 . The crises have been of different phases and dimensions. Recall that five management members of staff of the Council had alleged misappropriation of funds against him; a cross section of freight forwarders have been calling for his removal over alleged breaches of the CRFFN Act of 2007 in areas of membership registration and Professional Operating Fee(POF); lately the existing cold war between the Nwakohu-led management and the governing council culminated into a full-blown crisis with a simmering dimension that the council members are bent on exiting him even before December.
In addition to the internal brawls are many legal battles in court over CRFFN’s miscarriage of corporate vision.
These factors, according to industry operators have significantly rendered the Council stagnant and in search of a breath of fresh air.
MMS Plus reports that it is not likely that Nwakohu will survive the onslaught against him by the governing council which is vested with the powers to recommend him for a reappointment.
According to our sources, plans to commence a head hunt for the position of the Registrar/CEO of CRFFN through advertorial have begun.
Nwakohu, who succeeded the pioneer Registrar, Sir Mike Jukwe who exited the position in December, 2018, had his appointment approved by the then Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi after ratification by the CRFFN governing council.
Nwakohu said he came on board as CRFFN Registrar as a lawyer with 30 years experience but today the governing council is contesting his claim, even in court.
Recall that Nwakohu had also engaged the governing council members over their objection to planned acquisition of over N800million head office property at Lekki, Lagos, by the Council’s management led by him, alleging that their aversion to the idea was premised on pecuniary interest.
Five different queries over different malfeasance and allegations of insubordination as well as misappropriation of funds and abuse of office from governing council had preceded Nwakohu’s allegation of financial inducement to grant approval for the head office property acquisition.
However, a member of the governing council and their chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Tsanni said that they have been “Exonerated from all the allegation of compromise and connivance in the illegitimate transaction”.
Also the Bureau of Public Procurement(BPP) which had earlier issued a certificate of “No Objection” on the controversial property acquisition in Lekki, to the CRFFN management has suddenly made a U-turn, claiming it was done in error.
The letter reads: “The Bureau in the course of its documentation discovered an error in the Due Process Certificate of “No Objection” with Ref. no. BBP/S.i/Vol.xvii/22/043 dated September,07,22 granted for the purchase of the CRFFN HQS at LWG Building Alternative Route Chevron Drive,1000001,Lekki, Lagos, which was issued using the incorrect budgetary appropriation for the development and building of headquarter office complex.”
