Following moves by some registered freight forwarding associations to establish enforcement teams under different guises, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Nigeria has called on the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) to take necessary steps to stop them from doing so.
The National Executive Director, CILT Nigeria, Mr. Paul Ndibe who made this called in an interview with our correspondent in Lagos described the development as rather unfortunate even as he maintained that a regulator remained a regulator.
Ndibe however noted that the development also showed that people were beginning to wake up to the need to regulate saying that “apparently, they want to also be part of the mechanism for regulating and they are trying to design the style or manner of the regulation that will suit their own specific interests.”
He said that notwithstanding, the CRFFN had its own responsibility for this assignment and the onus was on them to establish that adding that it does not need to contemplate or warn associations not to as according to him, it was not necessary.
“Because by you warning them, it means that you are aware that they are there. So, you should feign ignorance of that and deal with such group if they come up. Set up your team that is backed by law, allow your team to work. If any group comes in between, of course, you deal with that group because that is the best way to deal with a situation like this.
“You see, as an individual, the Act establishing the CRFFN provided for some of these groups to be represented in the governing council and because they are in the council, they feel they are also CRFFN to some point and that is the confusion we are having. So, the implication is that they are acting as CRFFN because they serve on the council of the body. So, it is a misnomer, their presence in the council is to help amplify the policies and programme of CRFFN so that their members will know that their interests are protected and not when CRFFN is doing something, which you are part and parcel of in the council, you are doing your own to run at parallel with CRFFN.
“So, CRFFN should take the bold step by really dismantling all that and set up its own procedure and move ahead with that. It is also a sign of dissatisfaction on the part of those bodies that serve on the Council of CRFFN to try to have a parallel enforcement team like CRFFN. They are not CRFFN and if they are not CRFFN, they are not CRFFN. CRFFN should come up and do their work”, he said.
On the threat by some of the associations to withdraw their membership of CRFFN and refuse to be regulated by the Council on account of proscribing the enforcement teams by CRFFN as they were bodies registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), he queried, “A body registered with CAC to do what? Do you regulate yourself? Is there not a body that supervises what you do that can sanction you? It is because they feel that since they are in the council of CRFFN, they can also function as CRFFN.
“Whether they helped in midwifing the Council or not, that was then. The issue is whose responsibility it is to do this? If it is CRFFN, CRFFN should go ahead and do it, they are not sharing their position with CRFFN; they are not on the same authority. They are only a group of freight forwarders, that the government recognized you as National Association of Government Approved whatever does not arrogate to you implementation of certain laws or initiation of certain policies meant for regulating freight forwarders. You should not assume that responsibility because it is not in the object clause for your establishment. If it is not in the object clause of your establishment, what you are doing is ultra vires, it is beyond your capacity and CRFFN should take necessary step to stop them.”
Photo: The National Executive Director, CILT Nigeria, Mr. Paul Ndibe.
Send your news, press releases/articles to augustinenwadinamuo@yahoo.com. Also, follow us on Twitter @ptreporters and on Facebook on facebook.com/primetimereporters or call the editor on 07030661526, 08053908817.
