Group Rates CRFFN Worst Maritime Government Agency For 2020, Set To Protest Over Tenure Elongation

For failing to effectively regulate freight forwarding practice in Nigeria , the Council for the Regulations of Freight Forwarders in Nigeria (CRFFN), has been rated very low among maritime agencies under the transport ministry of the federal government in 2020.

 

This,  according to port activist group under the aegis of Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders Importers Exporters Coalition (SNFFIEC) ,  described CRFFN as the worst agency of government over failures to impact on the lives of  practitioner in 2020, saying that despite the numerous challenges faced by stakeholders in the sub sector , the council indeed fumbled to get it right again.

 

Due to the abysmal performance for the year, the group also threatened to embark on a peaceful protest   to the corporate head office of the CRFFN in Lagos,  due to  members of the governing board failure to exit office despite  the expiration of their tenure.

 

National Coordinator of the group, Sir Osita Chukwu Patrick,in a chat with DAILYFOCUS NIGERIA on Monday, who kicked against tenure elongation of the council’s board members, promised to mobilise practitioners to condemn the stay put syndrome of the executives.

 

“CRFFN is among the under performed agency of government under the maritime industry. The council is the  worst under performed agency of government this year.

 

Giving a breakdown of the council dismal performance for the year, the Coordinator stressed that ” There is no form of technicalities and social aspect of the freight forwarders this year, that should have been orchestrated by CRFFN.

 

“There was never a vacuum this year for training and retraining of practitioners this year.

 

“In terms of professionalism, there was no form of impact recorded in the lives of freight forwarders this year, even when the pandemic was at its peak, the regulator did not rise to the occasion to encourage the common freight forwarders who struggle to make ends meet in the face of the global crisis.”

 

Osita noted that CRFFN is no longer relevant in port operations thus the need for new governing board members to come on stream and project the way forward on how to promote freight forwarding practice in the maritime industry.

 

He said”CRFFN is no more relevant because it lack transparency, lack ideas, clueless and insensitive to port operations.

 

He reiterated that ” I am going to mobilise as many  port users , customs agents and freight forwarders to CRFFN head office to demand the removal of the governing council.

 

“They have established what we called impunity in the maritime industry and this what we must condemned because it’s illegal.

 

“They were duly elected into office and their tenure is over, therefore they should vacate the positions ,while the registrar should prepare for another round of elections.

 

“They were not appointed but elected so they should all go. We are asking the federal government to understand what it means to occupy the positions unlawfully.

 

“We are demanding that the council’s board members should not parade themselves any longer as governing body again.

 

“We are going to challenge them in the law court for the board to be dissolved or we embark on a mass protest because this is purely corruption,”Osita demanded.

 

Osita also commended the Nigeria Customs Service and Nigerian Shippers’Council for making stakeholders proud for the year saying , despite the pandemic and #ENDSARS protest the two agencies were steadfast in promoting government mandat .