NAFFAC Expresses Optimism Over POF Collection

The Nigerian Association of Air Freight Forwarders and Consolidators (NAFFAC) , has expressed high hopes over collection of Practitioners Operating Fee (POF) from the entry points of cargoes into the country.

The Council for the Regulations of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) recently announced collection of the POF across the seaports, airports and border posts across the country.

NAFFAC President General, Prince Adeyinka Bakare who gave the assertion on the POF Collection in a chat with newsmen on Thursday, noted that there would be teething problem at the initial stage of the collection but added that the process must get to an auto pilot stage in the future.

Bakare also stressed the need for the Council for the Regulations of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) to embark on massive sensitisation and awareness campaigns for practitioners to understand the importance of the fee.

According to him, training and re- training of freight forwarders and licensed customs agents must be paramount in ensuring a level playing field for practitioners to compete favourably with international operators.

While reacting against the backdrop of some practitioners kicking against the collection of the fee,the NAFFAC boss reiterated that the collection would be of enourmous benefits to the stakeholders and all other frontiers.

He said, “The honest truth is this, par adventure the members of the Association’s you are talking about are not properly briefed.

“Why are we supporting it. As old as NAFFAC is as an association, we don’t benefit anything from it it is only few associations that really benefit from it.

“Whether we like it or not, the POF is already being collected by some people. If you get to Tincan now, there are some people collecting association due and it is going to the pockets of few.

“What we are saying is that let the money come to a central pocket, we will use it to train ourselves.

“We are saying money has been paid, nothing has come back to me now I will get some percentage and aside that, they will still train me and attend international conference and all that.

“At the end of It, we will be able to compete with people in the international freight forwarding practice. That is what we are saying.

“Anybody going against it has probably not seen the benefits.”