After weeks of intensive debate within the freight forwarding industry over whether or not the practitioners’ Operating Fee (POF) should be collected, the Federal Ministry of Transport has finally given approval for the immediate commencement of the collection of the fees all the nation’s seaports, border stations and airports.
It will be recalled that at the first meeting between the Federal Ministry of Transport and the freight forwarders at Abuja in June this year over whether or not the fees should be collected, the Ministry asked to be given time to study the contending issues over the collection of the POF adding that it would communicate to the freight forwarders its position on the matter on a later date.
But in a letter addressed to the National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu titled,” Re: Stakeholders Meeting on issues affecting smooth operations of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria” and signed by an Assistant Director in the Ministry of Transport, M.S Nagogo on behalf of the Permanent Secretary which was sighted by Primetime Reporters, the Ministry also hinted that the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN)’s Governing Council election should be conducted as soon as possible.
According to Nagogo,” I am directed to convey approval of the under listed resolutions reached at the above meeting held at the Federal Ministry of Transport on Friday, 3rd July, 2015; (i) that CRFFN should immediately commence the collection of Practitioners’ Operating Fee (POF) (ii) that the CRFFN Governing Council election be conducted as soon as possible (iii) that the election of the Governing Board should be funded with part of the proceeds from the POF (iv) that 355 subvention fees should be kept in an Accrual Account pending the resolution of the sharing formular by the five Accredited freight Forwarders’ Associations and (v) that the five Accredited Freight Forwarders’ Associations should meet to agree on the sharing formular of the subvention fees within one month from the date of the meeting of 3rd July, 2015 and report back to the Ministry”.
He therefore advised the freight forwarding associations to take all the necessary action that would facilitate the implementation of the resolutions.
Reacting, the National Publicity Secretary of ANLCA, Dr. Kayode Farinto maintained that the position of ANLCA on the matter had not changed.
He said, “We have just sent another letter to the Federal Ministry of Transport because we just noticed that another letter was signed by one Musa Nagogo on the 15th of July, 2015 that they should go ahead and collect the POF but we have sent them a letter letting them know that we are in court. Secondly, the issue of POF has not even arisen”.
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