Facts have emerged as to why the election of the practitioners into the Governing Council of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) was postponed.
The election which was to hold this morning was put off two days ago indefinitely by the Registrar of CRFFN, Sir Mike Jukwe acting on the directive of the Honourable Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi without any reason, thus making it twice the election was postponed in less than two months.
Although no reason was given for the postponement, Primetime Reporters’ investigation revealed that the election may have been postponed following security reports that the election may come under attack by dissatisfied freight forwarders who felt that they were being challenge.
This is so because the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) led by Mr. Lucky Amiwero had earlier written a petition against the conduct of the election citing some irregularities in the Council. The group took further step to approach a court of competent jurisdiction to challenge the process.
Also, members of the Oodua Maritime Forum was embittered about the process adopted by the Council in the conduct of the election faulting the move by the five registered freight forwarding association to share the 15 positions allotted to the freight forwarders without recourse to them (Oodua Maritime Forum), considered to be the host region.
Another angle to it is that four persons were unjustly disqualified from participating in the election namely; the former National President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Eugene Nweke, the National President, Institute of Freight Forwarders and Customs Brokers (IFFCB), Dr. Zebulon Ikokide, Mr. Francis Omotosho and one other who entered the race as independent candidates as the five registered freight forwarding association had earlier agreed on a sharing formula for the 15 positions allotted to the freight forwarders leaving NAGAFF and ANLCA with 6 candidates each while the NCMDLCA, NAFFAC and AREFFN were ceded one slot each thereby foreclosing any attempt by persons who don’t belong to any of the five association to contest.
While Dr. Eugene Nweke had come out to say that he will not seek redress in court for his disqualification, others were yet to make any comment much as the four disqualified candidates are revered individuals in the industry who have sizeable followers who are not happy about their disqualification.
As a result of the above factors, tensions had started mounting with fears that the election venue and the electorates may come under attack more so as the election which was earlier scheduled to hold in Abuja was later shifted to Lagos thereby affording any disgruntled group or persons the unfettered access to easily mobilize themselves and destabilize the process, hence the need to postpone the election was advanced to allow for further consultation and strategic planning.
It will be recalled that a maritime based newspaper had earlier in the week pointed to the fact that the election was hanging on the balance because of the reasons adduced above and just as the paper had predicted, it came to pass.
Reacting to the postponement, former NAGAFF President, Dr. Eugene Nweke noted that although nobody told him the reasons for the postponement of the election, it was not far from security concern as the CRFFN Registrar, Sir Mike Jukwe, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Transportation, Alhaji Zakari Biu and one other were not in the know as to why the election was postponed insisting that from his point of view, it must be nothing but security concerns.
He however pointed out that contrary to the view of one of the practitioners who suggested that his disqualification and that of Dr. Zebulon Ikokide may have spelt doom for the election, he had nothing to do with the postponement as he had taken his disqualification in good faith and had moved on.
Alluding to the fact that the action of Mr. Lucky Amiwero’s group may have contributed to the postponement, the founder of NAGAFF, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam said in a press statement he issued in Lagos yesterday that,” And for the avoidance of doubt, the proponents of unlimited freedom of association may wish to understand that it is an abuse of the same 1999 Constitution as amended. Any freight practitioner whose name is not found in the register of freight forwarders kept by the Registrar and/or a member of the registered associations accredited by CRFFN should consider himself or herself a misnomer and to say the least an impostor in the freight forwarding profession in Nigeria. It is the mischief CRFFN is set out to cure for the emphasis.
“However the good news is that the Permanent Secretary of the Transportation Ministry, Alhaji Zakari Sabiu has been proactive in resolving the postponed election soonest with the Hon. Minister of Transportation for the Council to commence its proper management and administration. In due course NAGAFF may make further statement as we try to find out the remote cause of the postponement”.
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