…Rallies support for CRFFN Governing Council election
The National Executive Director of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Nigeria, Mr. Paul Ndibe has faulted the agitation by the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) over moves by the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) to pursue the establishment of Chartered Institute of Customs Brokers.
It will be recalled that NAGAFF had through its Head of Special Duties Headquarters; Rev. Emannuel Agubanze last weekend accused the new leadership of ANLCA of trying to establish a parallel body to the current Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) whose duty it is to regulate the activities of freight forwarder in Nigeria, ANLCA inclusive.
However, speaking in an interview with our correspondent in Lagos, Mr. Ndibe maintained that it would have been understandable if the agitation was coming from a government agency, but coming from a sister association, it amounts to nothing than a conflict of interest.
He therefore added that if ANLCA’s position was clear in pursuing the establishment of a Chartered Institute of Customs Brokers, it should proceed with it even as he said that if NAGAFF was contesting the purity of ANLCA’s intention, it was not expected that it should speak for CRFFN.
According to him,” CRFFN is the regulatory agency, so if they feel that their duties are being taken over by an organization that they are supposed to supervise, they should be able to use the big stick to control that.
“So, for me, it might not be in the place of NAGAFF to speak against the intentions of ANLCA, it is not the duty of NAGAFF to protect the CRFFN against ANLCA, so, it is supposed to be CRFFN as the overall supervising agency to know when its rights are being infringed upon and take necessary action to protect it.
“So, my thinking is that it is a conflict of interest and if ANLCA appears to have taken a step ahead of NAGAFF, instead of speaking against the step they are taking and appear to be protecting the government agency, it is for them to look for other openings in the sector and explore it and that will also make the sector to be healthy and more competitive”.
On the coming election of the Governing Council of CRFFN, the National Executive Director described it as a healthy development hoping that the election holds as scheduled this time around.
“Why am I saying this? Because most times, they have actually did things to subvert the inauguration of this council. Now that is coming up, I hope that they will come with clean minds and to allow this thing go through.
“When Olayiwola Shittu was heading ANLCA, it had been a thorny issue both on the public domain. I hope this time around, all nerves have been calmed and they should present themselves for that. If it is done, let them have a structure and let us see how that structure should sail through in whatever they are dedicated to do”, he said.
Photo: National Executive Director, CILT Nigeria, Mr. Paul Ndibe.
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