The fifteen freight forwarding practitioners elected as members of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) Governing Council last weekend in Lagos will on Friday 13th of July, 2018 be inaugurated by the Honourable Minister of Transportation, Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in Abuja, Primetime Reporters authoritatively reports.
The Registrar of CRFFN, Sir Mike Jukwe who disclosed this in Lagos last Saturday on the sideline of the election said that the inauguration would be preceded by a retreat for the Council members after which they will elect for themselves a Chairman and Vice Chairman in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
According to Jukwe,” The fifteen candidates elected today, together with the seventeen that have been appointed will make up a full governing council, we are going to have a retreat for the council members next week Thursday in Abuja, after the retreat, they will elect from among themselves the Chairman and Vice Chairman in accordance with the provisions of the Act and then on the following day, they will be inaugurated to go ahead and perform their functions”.
He recalled that the mandate of the Council was to regulate and control the freight forwarding in Nigeria adding that,” now that we have a Governing Council, policies will be made for the Management to execute and the policies are geared towards taking the freight forwarding subsector from where it is now to a higher level, international norms and best practices. That is what you will expect”.
Reacting on the events that preceded the election, the CRFFN Registrar stated that the Council provided a level playing ground for all practitioners to participate in the election saying that nobody was screened out of the electioneering process even as he added that it was only when one failed to meet the requirements that such a person was disqualified.
In his words,” There’s nothing like that, we had a very level playing ground for everybody. The notice was given and it lasted for four weeks and for four weeks, it was free for everybody once you are a registered freight forwarder and you want to contest, you pick your form, you meet the requirements and you are screened. Nobody was screened out; it was only if you do not meet the requirement that you are disqualified. So, I don’t want us to go with that impression that anybody was screened, no, it wasn’t”.
On why the 16th candidate initially cleared to contest alongside others did not participate in the election on that day, Jukwe quipped,” Nobody pressurized anybody to step down, I am telling you with the highest sense of responsibility that once you meet the requirements, you are free to contest, if on your own you decided you will not contest, why not? But nobody was screened out and nobody was pressurized, to the best of my knowledge, there was nothing like that”.
He however described the electioneering process as long, serious but successful even as he thanked God for a successful election.
“We hope that the spirit with which the practitioners have conducted themselves, they will take it along to the Governing Council so that good policies will be made and the Council can move forward and take the freight forwarders to that height we expect of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, at the end of the election, the following emerged elected with their total votes and sponsoring associations attached to their names: Western Zone Ekemezie Ifeanyi – 114 Votes NAGAFF, Increase Uche – 103 Votes NAGAFF, Peter Obi Ogechukwu – 9 Votes ANLCA, Felix Ozochukwura – 7 Votes ANLCA and Austin Kelly – 3 Votes NCMDLCA.
Others are; Eastern Zone- Princess Chi Ezeh – 53 Votes NAGAFF, Emmanuel Tochukwu Ezisi – 47 Votes NAGAFF, Henry Njoku Ifeanyi – 8 Votes ANLCA, Kayode Farinto – 3 Votes ANLCA and Bala Lawal Daura – 1 Vote AREFFN.
Whereas in the Airport & Land Borders Zone, the following emerged; Timothy Awogbemi – 60 Votes NAGAFF, Agubanze Emmanuel – 31 Votes NAGAFF, Adeyinka Bakare – 28 Votes NAFFAC, Sanni Shittu Ajao – 1 Vote ANLCA and Bamidele Azeez – 1 Vote ANLCA.
It will be recalled that the five freight forwarding associations accredited by CRFFN earlier on resolved to share the fifteen positions allotted to the freight forwarders as opposed to open election so as to reduce cost and ensure all inclusive Governing Council, a position the CRFFN subtly bought into as reflected in the result of the election result above.
Recall that this medium in oue of its reports last week informed that the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) was mounting pressure on the 16th candidate, Yau Muftahu who happened to be one of its members in the election to withdraw his interest so as to pave way for the fifteen candidates to emerge by affirmation threatening to penalize him if he fails to do so, a decision Muftahu had no option than to abide as he did not stand in for the election on the election day.
Send your news, press releases/articles to augustinenwadinamuo@yahoo.com. Also, follow us on Twitter @reportersinfo and on Facebook on facebook.com/primetimereporters or call the editor on 07030661526, 08053908817.
