Dr. Boniface Aniebonam is the founder, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF). In this interview with our correspondent, he reacts to alleged manipulation of the Freight Forwarders’ register by NAGAFF, issues relating to S.W Global’s contract, the collection of the POF and many more. Excerpt;
It was reported that the Federal Ministry of Transport had directed the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) to update the membership register of the Council in preparation for the upcoming Governing Council Election. But ANLCA has contended that it will not allow the Council to use any register for the election other than the one approved by the last Council as authorized by the Act. What is your take on this?
What do you mean by CRFFN law? I don’t understand what you mean by CRFFN law. Are those agitating or calling for election going to interpret CRFFN law? The law is constant thing, CRFFN statute is a constant thing. The point I am trying to make, I know where you are going, but what I am trying to tell you is that ANLCA as it were cannot dictate for CRFFN because there is no vacuum in governance.
The so called issue bothering on the constituted Board is neither here nor there, it is not important. The Board became dissolved, primarily, the elected members of the freight forwarding family, about eight of them, other representations are there; Customs, NIMASA, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, NACCIMA and all that, they are all there awaiting the representatives from the freight forwarding family. That’s when you can have a complete Board.
So, the Board is there but even at that, the powers inherent in Section 5 of the law that establishes CRFFN made it very clear on the powers of the Honourable Minister of Transport. So, even when you want to claim that the Board is not properly constituted, the powers revert to the Minister. There is no vacuum in government.
Now, I will give you a very clear example, as we are talking now, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has not appointed the Ministerial positions, does that stop government from running its affairs? So, what do you think all these people are talking about? It does not make sense and they have been told severally to stop all these because it will not lead them anywhere. Fighting government, I don’t know how far you will go, suing Inspector-General of Police, asking the court to stop him from doing this or that, what is he doing? His (Inspector-General) job is to keep peace. The permanent Secretary of Transport Ministry trying to create room for communication, dialogue and consultation, as a panacea for conflict resolution, you are in court, Attorney-General, they are in court, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, name them, all the associations, haba!! One person?
So where do they think they will go with this kind of actions? For instance, the Council registered five associations, four of it is in support of what the Council is doing and one is saying no. Does it make sense? Even in matters of this nature, sometimes, the court will ask you to go and settle out of court and come back and that will form part of the judgment of the court.
So, if we now go for instance and the court says this is it, are you going to dictate for the court? So, sometimes, I don’t really know what their problem is.
Their argument is that the updated register was purportedly influence by NAGAFF and concocted in the NAGAFF village here thereby rendering the updated register invalid, pointing out that it is the register that was approved by the out-gone Council that is the only valid register and should be used for the election otherwise, they won’t be part of the election. How do you react to that Sir?
It’s good news with this development that it is becoming obvious that NAGAFF have greater number of membership in the CRFFN. Is not what you are telling me now? Only it is concocted, is it not what you are telling me now? So be it. It is a good development. That means that ANLCA now is on defense.
They had told us that their membership is so much, they told the whole world and now they are saying it is concocted, a bad workman quarrel with his tools. So, that’s a good development because I have told you people who cared to listen that the membership of ANLCA is based on licenses issued by customs as a corporate entity and how many licenses do customs have? That is more than a thousand two hundred, if it is up to, that is operational.
So, is it ANLCA that own all the licenses out of the five associations? The answer is no. ANLCA will not get up to 30% of the licenses in operation even as they claimed to be the oldest licensed customs association; we give that one to them. But what I want you to know is that ANLCA should see the hand writing on the wall. The era of impunity is over and nobody is prepared to take all these trash and the extent they deceive all these freight forwarders will be resisted, it is as simple as ABC and nobody is running away from anybody and ANLCA too should know they don’t have monopoly of violence because they have taking to violence most of the time.
This is a fact because some of us are confused; we don’t know what the problem is. How can government create opportunity like this for us only for some people to oppose it? So, they have not told us their personal interests and that personal interests have to do with what you are now saying, the old Council members. The old Council members were the people who brought in Jukwe they are pursuing now. The old Council was the people who brought in S.W. Global, the concessionaire…
But he denied it saying that ANLCA was not part of it…
Because those people are no longer playing to their tunes, they are not ready.
He even made allegation against some Ministry officials in level of Directors and Assistant Directors in the Federal Ministry of Transport alleging that they were promised some percentages from the money accruing from the Practitioners’ Operating Fee, hence the reason they were bent on collecting this fee even against all reasons so far proffered.
Well, if ANLCA gets to the level of blackmail, I think it will be the worst for them, if they go to the extent of blackmailing government officials, then that will be too bad for them. Is it government officials that brought in S.W Global? Is it government officials that brought in Jukwe that they are now quarrelling with? Is it government officials that discussed the issue of commission at 60:40? Don’t worry, very soon, the truth will be told.
Now that ANLCA has threatened to pull out of the election should the CRFFN goes ahead and use the updated register in lieu of the one it claimed was approved by the last Council. What do you think will be the implication of this on the whole exercise?
If ANLCA decides to withdraw, an association out of five in a democracy, what do you think will happen? What kind of question are you asking me? Forget about the propaganda they are making. I think they have told you now that the register is that of NAGAFF in CRFFN, you can see now that there are signs of weakness now because they are coming out, no more propaganda. The era of propaganda has gone, facts now will emerge.
And they have filed case in court, we will meet in court. The four associations with CRFFN will meet them in court with the Inspector-General of Police with the Attorney-General of the Federation with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council with CRFFN itself will meet ANLCA in court let us see how they will go about it.
Do you people resolved to go on with the case in court rather than settle it as a family that you are?
You better go and ask them such question because we did not go to court and if they had gone to court, we meet in court.
The Federal Ministry of Transport gave you people one month to discuss amongst yourselves on the way forward as regards the sharing formula for the 35% accruing to the freight forwarding associations from the money collected from the Practitioners’ Operating fee. Few days to the deadline, how far have you gone on your discussions?
It is a ministerial directive; it is those who have problem that will come to us for solution. For us, there is no problem. Sharing formula has been outlined and agreed upon. Five associations, four sat, ANLCA refused to attend the meeting and a quorum was formed and we deliberated.
Starting with the election, we agreed that the 15 chances for membership of the Council will be pro-rata according to strength of the each of the associations and membership so that we have an inclusive Council because one major reason for the establishment of CRFFN was to bring all the various associations together under one control and regulation. So, that must be achieved.
Why the first Council failed was that ANLCA with some people in Shippers’ Council flawed the election, it was comprehensively rigged, the evidence was there that some people were arrested with some fake ballot papers and nobody prosecuted them up till today. That was in the era of Capt. Biu. The matter was brought before him, Sanusi who was in-charge of that electoral process compromised and the evidence was clear.
Even at that, we said, four years is not far, so, let us continue. For instance, somebody like me was the first person that accepted defeat, I went and congratulated them. Other than ANLCA understanding that we are no longer doing ANLCA or NAGAFF, that this is CRFFN Act and regulation, they went there and started pursuing ANLCA interest to the extent that the CRFFN under Peter Obih as the Chairman for the registration of associations after due inspections, they said that only ANLCA merited registration with 9 points, NAGAFF failed with 7 points, you can imagine! Others 3 while some others 2. So, you can see 9 points and 7 points. That was what they said oh! We are not contesting with them, it is how God punished them? 9 point and 7 points, 9 points scored sorely, I don’t know whether it was 9/10 and we were asking them did 7/10 fail? Can 7/10 fail exams? It is only in ANLCA that you hear such thing.
Anyway, they did not register NAGAFF. The problem started, NAGAFF did not understand why a small group like ANLCA as the sub-element association, you know what I mean by sub-element? Yes, ANLCA is a sub-section of the total logistics management in cargo administration, door to door. It is just a segment, customs license is a segment in the freight forwarding chain. When they make all these noise they are making they do not know that freight forwarding business is a global business as well as a professional business, it is not a vocation.
Even in customs, the responsibility of customs is within the sovereignty of a country, they cannot move away from our borderline to ordinary Cotonou here to perform functions whereas a freight forwarder goes across international frontiers.
Go and tell ANLCA people that time is changing and they should join the movement. People like Dayo are there who know what we are talking about, people like Tayo Oyeniyi is there who know what I am talking about. The President of ANLCA knows what am talking about.
So, that was why I have been telling ANLCA people, follow your leader. Who is their leader? Prince Shittu, they should follow him, he cannot deceive them.
Finally Sir, the Federal Ministry of Transport has approved the immediate commencement of the collection of the Practitioners’ Operating Fee. Can you confirm that CRFFN has commenced collection as we speak?
Collection will commence based on the information we got from the Registrar. The technical committee is starting off with NAGAFF on Monday, 27th July, they will be here to teach NAGAFF members how to go online and make payment. Tuesday, they will be in NAFFAC, the next day AREFFN, the other day, National Council.
They are not going to ANLCA because ANLCA has gone to court. Do you fight your God? Can somebody fight his God? Now, what am I saying? If you don’t pay, the cargo will not be delivered to you. The Transport Ministry has written a letter, that is government directive, to the terminal operators, shipping companies, if you don’t provide the receipt of payment of that money, they will not release your cargo to you, both the customs, they have informed the customs. I am sure you are hearing this for the first time?
So, ANLCA, they are just wasting their time fighting them. How can you be fighting government? Does it make sense? Instead of engaging government in dialogue, you are going the way you are going. Aside from that, there are other four associations that what you are complaining affect also and they are telling you no, that the government is in order, you said you are the only wise man, then you need to tell us more who is the one drumming that drum somewhere that they are dancing.
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