…As we await the election of governing council Chairman/Vice Chairman
…When an accord may become professionally un-Concordia!
James Swain noted in his novel titled: Grift Sense – (refers to the instinct for spotting a scam), that, three things Tony knows: “The Blonde is guilty, the grifter has lived a former life and the biggest scam is the one that hasn’t happened yet”.
Prior to the shifting of the earlier slated election of Chairman/ Vice Chairman of the CRFFN Governing Council, by the Honorable Minister of Transport, beyond the echoed horse trading held behind doors, it was speculatively retorted that, it ended in a gentleman agreements – reached between the elected practicing freight forwarders in the governing council, along with the arrow heads of their respective accredited associations and the appointed representatives.
The said agreements is purported to have entered as thus: a government representative takes up the Chairmanship position and an elected practicing freight forwarder takes up the Vice Chairmanship position.
Whether this is a truism position taken by the professionals or not, I will reserve my comments pending when an official pronouncements, after the said election/inauguration ceremony to be performed by the Honorable Minister is observed and made.
Here again, with the mind of a critical stakeholder in the Freight Logistics Industry, I reinstate an obvious fact which I can vouch for based on my vantage position as leader in the industry and direct professional involvements/interactions with about 94% of the elected governing council members, which is that, they are all leaders in their respective rights having served or serving the Freight Logistic Industry at different cadres.
In no particular order of mention, leaders like Chief Henry Ifeanyichukwu Njoku, Chief Increase Onwuka Uche, Dim Peter Oge Obih, Chief Ifeanyichukwu Ekemezie, Dr. Kayode Collins Farinto, Prince Ozo Felix Chukwurah, Rev. Emmanuel Agubanze, Alhaji Bala Lawal Daura, etc. stands out as tested and notable leaders in the Freight Logistics Industry whom individually, by professional inclination merits to head the governing council as Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively.
It beats professional ethos, integrity, reasoning and passion, if these crops of leaders will ever for whatever pressure or considerations outside sustaining professional obligations to ever contemplates compromising professional disciplines, legacy and sustainability on the altar of un-enduring “political/ bureaucratic maneuvers”. I don’t know either of them to be a stooge leaders, that wine and dine in the comfort zone of playing a “second fiddle’ in his or her professional domain.
Like my late father will always ask me, “What you want to be in life, is determinant on your answers to: Do you want to be the Man that pays the bills or the man that receives the payment for a bill?” I pose the same questions to all the elected professionals in the council.
Dear Distinguished professional colleagues, time has come and the hour is now for all of us to be conscious of our actions and inactions towards our collective survival as men and women in a most noble profession.
Permit me to reiterate, that setting an unprofessional precedent at this early day of our corporate and professional existence means a fundamental professional administrative error, with its attendant implications by and by. May I therefore, caution that any acts or decisions that will compromise “professional legacies”, tantamount to “professional derailment” that may not be redeem in nearest years to come. We must collectively resolve not to defeat the professional intendments of acts 16 2007.
Once more, I want to passionately appeal to all of you, to please reconsider the journey to professionalism so far in our profession and strive to keep intact your leadership and professional uprightness for the survival of our noble Profession.
There is a purpose why our enabling Act is structured to accommodate 32 members governing council of the CRFFN and not governing board of the CRFFN. For emphasis sake, this is a professional regulatory council, like any other professional bodies in the Country. There is also a purpose why the Act 16, 2007 provides that the practicing professionals should elect amongst themselves, fellow professional colleagues (tested leaders with impeccable characters) to lead them via evolving professional regulations to aid professional attainments.
Professional interests is paramount and far above political interests/considerations, hence where political interests far outweighs professional interest, a professions suffers and an industry dies on the premise of professional misconducts, ineffective regulations and epileptic enforcements. Except for building professional institutions, voting for trainings, research obligations etc., this governing council does not award rail, air, road contracts, electrification projects contracts, dredging contracts, ship acquisition, etc.
As far as I am concern for now, none of you is under any threat, compulsion or whatsoever. In case there is, which is not known to the larger professionals, your liberties is sacrosanct. For now, we join to crossing our hands, perhaps in a ‘conspiracy of silence’.
In conclusion, may I for the sake of the survival of the freight forwarding profession in Nigeria leave us with the following quotes, a paradox of administration: “If a man is called to be a streets sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streets sweeper who did his job well”.
“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence”, Martin Luther King Jr.
However, according to in the lion’s game, “great plots thrives, wonderful characters abounds and a slick subtle wit”, wherefore, irrespective of schemings, death is afraid of the King because he has the lions heart”.
May God guide your path of decisions.
This is a word for now – For the glory of the freight forwarder: An essential and distinct service provider in the international trade logistics, security supply chain.
Thanks once again for your attention.
Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria!!
Long live the Transport Industry!!
Long live the CRFFN!!
Long live the Forwarders!!!
Nweke Ifeanyichukwu Eugene.
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