Speculations over cause of the continuous disagreement and mutual suspicion that has existed between the Association of the Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) may have been over as the founder of NAGAFF; Dr. Boniface Aniebonam has given a clue as to what the problem is.
Aniebonam who was speaking while playing host to the leadership of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders Nigeria (AREFFN) who paid a courtesy visit to the headquarters of the association recently said that the problem between the two sister associations “is just basically sharing formula”.
According to him,” The old agents here will remember the CGC conference in Calabar about ten years ago during the Okonjo-Iweala first coming, ANLCA and NAGAFF came together to discuss the issue of sharing formula and ANLCA said it should be 60:40, I said no, it is either 50:50 or nothing and we couldn’t agree and we came back told Buba Jang and others, and that was what led to exit of every association in terms of practicing fee collection. We followed it up both legally and otherwise.
“Why I am telling you people all these is that AREFFN, I want you people to know that you are riding on the back of NAGAFF, either as AREFFN or National Council or NAFFAC. We did the fight, the fight was not only ANLCA, the fight is the law, because of the customs law. Those sections 153 to 156 of the customs regulation, the customs does not want to see you as a freight forwarder. So, by act of God, the CRFFN Act came.
“I am trying to show you reasons why we should be closer because whatever affects NAGAFF affects you all and the more we are together, the better we can achieve result. So, the same success story is you people coming as a team and behold this is the first time I am coming close to this your President, what a handsome man that can represent AREFFN anywhere
“For us in NAGAFF, we have nothing against anybody rather we want you people to come up, let us join hands to develop our profession. I am very sure that in no distance time, if we can get ourselves together and CRFFN should come up and bubbling, there is nobody in the leadership of the various associations and even the members that will have any cause to regret.
“Let us tighten our loose ends, let us work together, what is coming on, to show you that there is nothing, for you coming here, let me open up to you. The technical and tactical work going on, you are not there. It is between NAGAFF and ANLCA, you are not coming. Election that is coming, NAGAFF is fully prepared in advance, we are following up and we have made it compulsory for our election and registration is going on. I know that ANLCA is threatened and that is why a lot of things are going on, they are still fighting that individuals should not be allowed to vote that it should be corporate bodies but it is not going to work. What is going to work is the law and what does the law say, individual member, corporate and associations, three categories of membership of CRFFN. So, that magic they did that time cannot work.
“And I know that the licenses issued by the customs are not more than one thousand and time will come when we will teach some people that we can do this job, that the customs must be able to provide the licenses that are operational, you don’t have any reason to provide us with a license that has been blacklisted ten years ago, no, it is not going to be accepted. So, if anybody thinks that the ANLCA people will go back and use the system that they used and then rig that election, we will not allow them.
“So, we need to work together, if we don’t work together, it is not about NAGAFF, I have said it in the open, we don’t want it so. What is the essence of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding? To bring all the contending voices under regulation. The thinking of NAGAFF is that all the five associations must be represented in the Council even if it means one person each, if it in terms of size, there is no association that is equal to NAGAFF including ANLCA.
“All this things I am telling you is to let you know that there is no reason for us to be apart, we need to be together to fight one common course that will liberate our people. So, as you are here now, what do you know that is happening to the Act that is in the National Assembly? The CRFFN Act is before the National Assembly, we have done the public hearing, do you know what is going on now? But if you want to know, it involves a lot of things.
“So, what I expect from you now is leadership, going to ANLCA is good but ANLCA from my vantage position, they don’t want to hear anything about Frank whether Shittu or no Shittu. As far as ANLCA is concerned, they are not interested in any of these things AREFFN, National Council, NAGAFF; they don’t want to hear that, what ANLCA want is everything to them, nothing more. That is the only way they will understand you and that is how stupid they can be”.
Responding, former National President of AREFFN, Dr. Frank Ukor thanked Dr. Aniebonam for the exposé and pleaded with him to carry them along in the coming election into the governing council of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) to enable them get a slot through the association and another slot through election as they may not be able to achieve it on their own if left alone.
“CRFFN election is there and it is drawing very closer. We are aware that if you leave us and say, all of us go to the field, I am not sure we are going to get one slot but we want to ride on your back to get one or two slots. I want to beg you, if you say we can go and do this on our own, I will say we can’t do this thing. So, I want to beg you here to accommodate us, tell us how we can go so that we can through you get a slot.
“Like I said, carry us along so that we can get a slot through the association and get another slot through election because I tell you, if we are not there, they will say accredit this people and disaccredit this people and then it will be only NAGAFF and ANLCA”, he submitted.
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