CRFFN Restored To Marine & Blue Economy Budget After Ministerial Budget Code Error

By Roland Ekama 

The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has been restored to the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy’s budget allocation after a budget-code error left it out of the ministry’s accounts for 2023–2024.

The council had been omitted from the ministry’s budget lines because its budget code remained under the former parent, the Federal Ministry of Transportation. Other agencies that moved under the new ministry received budget codes, but CRFFN did not — creating a funding gap that threatened the council’s operations.

CRFFN moved quickly to protect its position during the budget defense process, and the ministry intervened to resolve the allocation issue.

Registrar Kingsley Igwe told DAILY FOCUS NIGERIA on the sidelines of an event put together by Transport Day in Lagos recently.

According to him, the council has successfully transferred from the Ministry of Transportation’s budget to the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.

Igwe added that the council is current on staff salaries, saying no employee has been owed pay at any time this year.

Recall that at the budget defense, earlier in the year, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, CON, warned that CRFFN risked a significant operational setback because the 2026 budget was mistakenly classified under the Federal Ministry of Transportation instead of the Marine and Blue Economy.

He said the error caused oversight confusion, policy misalignment, and disruptions across the maritime logistics chain.

Oyetola presented the ministry’s proposed 2026 budget of ₦10,499,984,667.10 to a joint National Assembly session and described it as “grossly insufficient” given the ministry’s critical role in trade, transport, and food security.