The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has called for the setting up of a technical committee to harmonize the freight forwarding industry with a view to professionalizing it.
The National President of NAGAFF, Dr. Eugene Nweke who made this known during a courtesy visit on him by the Nigerian Institute of Freight Forwarders and Customs Brokers (NIFFCB) in Lagos Wednesday stated that there was the need for a committee comprising of key stakeholders and the institute to chart a way forward for the industry.
Nweke noted that there was no better time to reposition the freight forwarding industry than now expressing the hope that with the institute and the regulatory body personified by the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), the professionalization of the industry was realizable.
According to him, “I think at this point in time, there is the urgent need now that you are expanding your tentacles, Mr. President, we need to set up a technical committee made up of key people from the associations and yourself, the Minister of Transport and the Minister of Finance should be called to harmonize this misunderstanding and push a bill to the National Assembly to address the issues bothering on the professionalization of the industry”.
While congratulating NIFFCB Management for being proactive in taking steps to professionalize the industry, he bemoan the segregation existing within the associations in the industry where they tend to compete for supremacy amongst themselves saying that it called for concern.
The NAGAFF boss explained that in line with the dictates of the CRFFN, his association had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Redeemer’s University where they offer Mandatory training Programme for their members every Saturday of the week.
He also disclosed that the practice of freight forwarding was 50 percent practice and 50 percent academics thus the need for the institute.
He however pointed out that the institute may not achieve more if the enforcement arm of CRFFN was not empowered to be proactive by picking some of the people who tout themselves as freight forwarders but were lacking in professional training as freight forwarders thereby smearing the image of the profession.
Dr. Nweke therefore pledged the support of the association to the institute to enable it achieve its mandate.
“We are here, like I said before, NAGAFF, anything we have to do to encourage professionalism, we will not hesitate in doing that”, he said.
Earlier, the National President, Nigerian Institute of Freight Forwarders and Customs Brokers (NIFFCB), Dr. Zebulon Ikokide disclosed that they were at the NAGAFF Secretariat to seek ways collaborating with the association to train a crop of dedicated individuals that can be of service to the freight forwarding industry.
Dr. Ikokide hinted that NIFFCB which was primarily concerned with the Provision of course of study and conducting professional examinations designed to guide the entrant into the profession in obtaining appropriate qualifications which would enable them function effectively as freight forwarders also provided a veritable and organized platform for freight forwarders to network and interact professionally through a world class professional body as obtained globally.
According to him,” we seek to ensure that the freight forwarder is trained to the peak of professional excellence and to accord professionals and graduates an educational status comparable to other professionals in the country through a deliberate design and implementation of a curriculum in an effort to getting accreditation of our courses from the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja”.
“This exercise will support CRFFN in her training programmes for the workforce in the freight forwarding industry”.
On his part, the Acting Executive Secretary of the institute, Mr. Ifeanyi Joseph stated that the institute was beyond a training institute as it sought to standardize and professionalize the freight forwarding industry in Nigeria.
Mr. Joseph further explained that one of the bedrock of the institute was its research based posture as according to him, the institute intended to set up a state of the art resource centre at Apapa for the use of freight forwarders in their research and academic pursuit while carrying out their businesses.
On the mission of the institute, he said, “we want to be a melting point for all the associations in the profession as the Institute of freight Forwarding and Customs Brokers intends to be a unifying factor where all members can come and socialize and network as professionals irrespective of what association one belongs”, Joseph said.
He therefore called on them to extend their hands and grab the olive branch being extended to them by the institute as it would benefit them not only as an association but as individual.
