13 YEARS AFTER: AREFFN Tackles CRFFN On ID Cards Renewal , Plans To Train 1,000 Fresh Graduates Annually

On Sep 20, 2023

Secretary General AREFFN,Forwarder, Francis Obiezekie

The Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN) has called on management of Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) to renew registered membership identity cards which has been last issued in 2012.

AREFFN , National Secretary General, Obiekezie Francis, in a chat with newsmen on Tuesday in Lagos , stated that before the expiration of the council board in 2024, there is the need to renew the identity cards of members noting that lack of issuance sent wrong signal of a government agency under the new ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.

He said that the Association has been at loggerhead with CRFFN over training of practitioners adding that the council has failed in the area of capacity building, lamenting that members are trained with their hard earn money.

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“CRFFN identity card was been issued to members back in 2012 and up until today there is no renewal and this does not show seriousness and commitment about the Council.

“We have been quarrelling with CRFFN on capacity building for members and practitioners. We can only get this benefit when CRFFN stabilizes, he stated.

In a bid to catch them young, the AREFFN scribe also reaffirmed that strategies toward creating more awareness for the freight forwarding practice in Nigeria would be through engaging fresh graduates from tertiary institutions and groom them about the potentials embedded in maritime potentials.

According to him, plans are afoot to train at least 1, 000 fresh graduates from tertiary institutions in freight forwarding practice annually, lamenting that the CRFFN has failed in its mandates on capacity building for practitioners as stipulated in the act establishing the council.

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He noted that the Association has entered into strategic MoU for the training of members with Redeemers University, describing that CRFFN as a jinxed parastatal of the federal government.

He said AREFFN has already commenced consultation with management of National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) in furtherance to promote freight forwarding practice in Nigeria by engaging young and educated persons.

The scribe lamented that most of the practitioners started the profession from an uninformed background perspective but added that AREFFN is set to change the narrative through capacity building for young talents who are keenly interested in the business of freight forwarding practice in Nigeria.

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Obiekezie stressed that” We are concentrating on young minds who want to make first choice career in freight forwarding and we want to inject at least 1000 graduates into the business.”

“Our members are trained by Redeemers University currently, and we pay for this services which ordinarily should be funded by CRFFN according to the act.”

Obiekezie also stated that much have not been achieved since inception of the CRFFN establishment , pointing out that the council should have stood firm in engaging the current trends of Maritime Police Command obstructing containers movement from the ports.

Apparently dissatisfied in CRFFN , limbo position , Obiezekie called on the new Minister of Marine and Blue Economy to work closely with practitioners on the need to stabilise the Agency.

By Roland Ekama