…Says mischief makers out to malign Council
The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has dismissed the report allegedly claiming that Nigeria is no longer a member of the International Federation of Freight Forwarding Associations (FIATA) describing it as the handiwork of mischief makers who are out o malign the Council.
Speaking in an interview with Primetime Reporters in Lagos on Monday, The Registrar of the Council, Barr. Samuel Nwakohu recalled that CRFFN was the only institution that represents Nigeria in FIATA as well as the only voice that FIATA recognizes in Nigeria saying, “if you write FIATA now, they will refer you back to CRFFN, every organization that applies for corporate registration gets reference from CRFFN.”
Nwakohu added that before his assumption of office as the Registrar over a year ago, CRFFN owed FIATA which incidentally resulted to suspension of the country from the activity of the global body within the period.
“We did not commit any crime, we owed FIATA and they suspended our membership because we owed for about three years. That was before I assumed duty as the Registrar but people who are mischievous would not want to find out the full details.
“Now, we have cleared all the outstanding that we have with FIATA, we are in good standing with FIATA. FIATA has been inviting us for meetings during this Covid-19 pandemic; we have had several sessions of meeting with them.
“Last Friday, we had meeting with FIATA virtually and what was the essence of the meeting? The essence of the meeting was that the CRFFN has been approached by the Shippers’ Council on Kaduna Inland Dry Port including railway, because they know we are the only organization that has relationship with FIATA and FIATA is going to be instrumental in designating the Kaduna Inland Dry Port as port of origin and destination. Government has done its part there but because the international community has not recognized Kaduna as a dry port, as a port of origin and destination.
“So, Shippers’ Council essentially has approached CRFFN, since you are the voice of Nigeria in FIATA, can you assist us with this and we have been doing that before Covid set in. We are supposed to go to Switzerland to discuss that with FIATA, the Minister has approved already. We are supposed to go to South Korea by October, that meeting has been indefinitely postponed till 2022.
“So, we have a relationship with FIATA, we owed them and they classified us as inactive member until we have paid. In fact, we had approval to pay for 2020 but all the arrears that we have owed have been cleared. No other association has the FIATA syllables, FIATA has given us the syllables and we have passed all through the accreditations. So, we have the nod of FIATA to run their programmes. So, anybody who is doing anything maybe doing that for mischievous reasons or maybe just trying to malign CRFFN unnecessarily but that is not in the interest of the country. Anybody who has issue with our stand with FIATA should approach us and we will give him the through picture.
“We have been holding Webinar, we are supposed to hold one in three days’ time, the first one was held last month and the FIATA man was in the meeting. This one we are holding, after the Friday meeting, the Chairman of FIATA in Africa and the Middle East, what we call the REAME – Region of Africa and the Middle East said make sure you invite me. So, if you want to join in that meeting, we will make sure you hear the voice of the FIATA Chairman. So, anybody who says we don’t have a relationship with FIATA is only being mischievous”, he explained.
It will be recalled that the President of the Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON), Otunba Frank Ogunojemite said in a chat with newsmen in Lagos last week that CRFFN has failed to register and get Nigeria accredited with FIATA.
Ogunojemite insisted that the Council’s failure to register with FIATA sent wrong signal to global best practices thereby calling on CRFFN to give reasons for the delay in aligning the country with FIATA.
He insisted that even with the claims by CRFFN of having cleared its backlog of outstanding with FIATA, one cannot still find Nigeria on the FIATA website on clicking on it while small African countries Like Ghana, Cameroun and others could be readily available just on a click.
Photo: The Registrar, Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Barr. Samuel Nwakohu.
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