CRFFN Registrar, Igwe vows to revive Council after clearing salary backlog, budget reinstatement

The Registrar, Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Kingsley Igwe has pledged to revitalize the Council following the successful clearance of a ten-month salary backlog and the reinstatement of its budgetary allocation.

Igwe made the pledge when he paid a courtesy visit to the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) Secretariat in Lagos on Tuesday.

He said, “The cry of my workers is no more because we have cleared all the backlog of salary that was owed for 10 months. And we didn’t stop there. We went ahead to restore our place in the federal government budget, meaning that salaries of workers is guaranteed. No more owing.”

Addressing the slight delay in January and February salaries, Igwe explained, “Budgets have been passed. Ours was passed. It’s only for the federal government to load it and everybody gets their salary. That is where we are now. So I wasn’t making a mistake when I said our salaries have been cleared 100%. And you will not hear the story of salaries not being paid. So I will say that it has brought succour across board.”

Speaking on the CRFFN N1.75 billion budgetary allocation for the 2025 fiscal year, Igwe acknowledged that while it may not be sufficient to address all the council’s needs, it will serve as a crucial starting point.

“I don’t have an issue with the allocation. I said it’s enough to get us started in the journey because the journey has just begun, ” he said.

He highlighted the need for infrastructure upgrades and staff training, stating, “Our offices are dilapidated as we speak. They are almost at ground zero. So if I say that it would be enough to rebuild all of those offices for my staff to get back in full scale, I would be telling lies. So that is not enough.

“But it is enough to get some fixed. It is enough to take overhead. It is enough to at least do the basic things like training, which we have rolled out, especially for the staff to upgrade and for the freight forwarders whom we regulate.”

Igwe emphasized his commitment to revitalizing the Council stating, “CRFFN has come to stay, whether they like it or not. And I bring you this good message because we have started to work and we are not going back again. We have left Egypt and to Canaanland we are going.

“And the journey so far, even though it’s not smooth, but we are sailing. And very soon you will hear us sail at the speed of light. And those who have overtaken us before, we will overtake them. That is our work. By this, I mean that we are putting things in place to revive all that has been left dead. And all we need is once again this kind of journey, this kind of collaboration to help us to strengthen what we have put in place.”

In his remarks, MWUN President General, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, commended the federal government for the salary backlog payment and commended Igwe’s leadership, acknowledging his commitment to the council’s progress.