The Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON), has slammed the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarders in Nigeria (CRFFN), accusing it of complicity in the lingering commotion among practitioners over proposed sharing formula in the forthcoming governing board election.
The group said the action and inaction of the CRFFN management towards corporate and individual freight forwarders is clear evidence of compromise on the part of the Council.
National President of APFFLON, Frank Ogunojemite, stated this in reaction to an invitation of leaders of associations and their secretaries by CRRFN Registrar to a meeting in Lagos but which was not extended to corporate and individual practitioners.
In a statement made available to our correspondent on Tuesday, Ogunojemite said the action by CRRFN is not only dubious but a clear violation of Section 4 of the Act, and therefore questions the integrity of its management.
“APFFLON is shocked by the body language of the management of the Council which is roundly suggestive of complicity in the lingering commotion triggered by the proposed sharing formula for the CRFFN anticipated election.
“The Registrar of the Council, in a letter dated 02/11/2021, and exclusively copied to leaders of Associations, strictly inviting them and their secretaries to a meeting slated for 10th of November, 2021, at Rockview Hotel and Suites Apapa, is clear evidence that the management is in full support of the infamous 6:6:1:1:1 formula.
“It is very clear that Section 4, of the CRFFN Act, recognizes three categories of membership, namely, associations, corporate bodies and individuals, and if it is so, why then did the management of the Council not extend the invitation to the other two categories?
“This and other deliberate infractions on the part of the management makes one begin to doubt the neutrality of the Registrar and his team in the unpopular arrangement,” he said.
APFFLON noted that sidelining corporate bodies and individuals by not inviting them to meetings strongly negates that section of the Act that provides that those three categories shall populate the council.
The group argued that the present CRFFN management is increasingly casting itself in bad light as emerging facts have clearly shown that the Council itself is the bane of robust freight forwarding practice in Nigeria.
The group called on the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi to closely watch the activities of the Council as it needs to be sanitized because as it stands, the integrity of the management is in serious doubt.
“The question remains, why would they invite associations without considering other stakeholders? That singular act is not only dubious, it is a clear violation of Section 4 of the Act, and therefore questions the integrity of its management.
“Flouting the Federal Ministry of Transportation’s directives on the election of members into the Council, by the present management of the Council justifies our call for immediate removal of the management as they are no longer fit to participate in the forthcoming election, otherwise the entire process will be jeopardized and the efforts of the Honourable Minister to transform the industry will be bastardized as well.
“We call on the Honourable Minister to take a firm stand to save the industry and not allow any individual or cartel to dictate or wrongly advise him against his resolution to carry out proper and in-depth reformation of the sector because Nigeria deserves to be among the comity of robust maritime nations,” he said.
