-As Members accused Council of Fraudulent practice in POF Collection
By Innocent Orok
The Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria ( CRFFN) has promised to work with the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) in order to deliver it’s mandate to stakeholders. The Council also promised ANLCA that it will address the burning issues members are going through in the ports.
The Council gave the assurance on Wednesday during a meeting with ANLCA Executives and members at the association’s headquarters in Lagos State.
At the meeting, led by the Acting Registrar of the CRFFN, Mrs Chinyere Uromta and ANLCA National President, Mr Emenike Nwokeoji, his Vice Prince Segun Odutan, former National President, Sir Ernest Elochukwu, National Secretary, National Treasurer, Hajia Bola Muse, NPS, Emmanuel Onyenme among other members expressed their displeasure on several operational challenges; ranging from the handling of the Practitioners Operating Fees (POF), non-repayment of declarant fees, poor administration and engagements with practitioners, among others.
They accused the Council of being fraudulent in managing the POF, which according to them, they have no accurate data, as such are not paying beneficiaries their declarant fees as stipulated in the agreement.
To address these challenges, it was agreed that a joint-Committee comprising members of both ANLCA and CRFFN should be set up as the committee is expected to enhance the regulatory synergy between the Council and the association.
In explaining the Council’s position, Mrs. Uromta, elaborated on the need to deepen professional development and capacity building, stressing that the core mandate of the Council is to professionalize the freight forwarding sector by developing standards, providing education and training programmes for freight forwarders.
She pleaded with ANLCA to support the Council, echoing that they cannot succeed without the cooperation and support of ANLCA.
She explained “In 2020, the Council determined the minimum qualification required to practice freight forwarding in Nigeria which is the FIATA Diploma in Freight Forwarding and Supply Chain Management or its equivalent. These programmes qualify you to practice freight forwarding in Nigeria. We equally have the Executive Professional Diploma (EPD) programme which serves as an executive pathway for Certificate of Experience as provided in the CRFFN Act. The main purpose of the programme is to validate the experience and update the knowledge of Executive Officers in the freight forwarding sector through an intensive one week residential programme,” she said.
Uromta, however, assured that the leadership of CRFFN is aware of the huge outstanding remittances of the payment of declarant fees; even as she outlined some challenges, but promised to make efforts to pay the backlog.
On his part, the President of ANLCA, Chief Emenike Nwokeoji, encouraged the Council to be more intentional in its commitment to engaging freight forwarders, especially ANLCA members who are passing through a lot in their businesses, describing the meeting as a step in the right direction.
Nwokeoji observed that ANLCA was yet to receive any reimbursement on declarant fees for associations, while he equally lamented that as declarants, members of the association are also being owed.
“Personally I know what it took me when we were fighting to establish CRFFN years ago. I stumbled on a draft of the CRFFN Act and we made input. We sent for the then Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha and fought until it went to the National Assembly and we were there to defend the CRFFN Act. But the moment the agency came on stream, some people came as vultures and claimed to be the owners of CRFFN,” Nwokeoji remarked.
The ANLCA President and members were furious that CRFFN has not treated the association as it supposed and called on the Acting Registrar to do what is right, warning that ANLCA will not tolerate any further maltreatment from the council.
