…Our relationship with FIATA is intact –CRFFN
The President, Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON), Otunba Frank Ogunojemite has again insisted that the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) and by extension, Nigeria, is not a member of the International Federation of Freight Forwarders (FIATA).
Recall that Ogunojemite had about few months ago raised an alarm that CRFFN has lost its membership of the international body of freight forwarders, a claim that the management of CRFFN has since dismissed as misinformation.
Speaking to this medium in an interview to clarify that, the Registrar of CRFFN, Barr. Samuel Nwakohu disclosed that the Council was indebted to FIATA leading to its delisting from the international body adding that CRFFN under his watch had since cleared the outstanding and had been readmitted by FIATA.
However, in an interview with our correspondent recently, APFFLON President described the explanation given by the CRFFN Registrar as misleading as he insisted that a click on FIATA website will confirm his position.
According to him, “As I am talking to you, I can confirm to you that CRFFN is not accredited by FIATA and if they are on the process of accreditation, they should not be claiming to have been accredited by FIATA. So, as I am talking to you, CRFFN by extension Nigeria is not accredited by FIATA.
“It is obvious, everybody can check, we can go on the internet and check it. Ghana is there, South Africa is there, China is there, Kenya is there but Nigeria is not there. And as I am talking to you, CRFFN is misleading freight forwarders that they are accredited by FIATA because they are not supposed to be using even FIATA logo as it is. Of course, during the time of Olanrewaju and Co, Nigeria was accredited but due to the failure of those manning the Council, they lost the accreditation.
“If they have cleared the money they owed FIATA,Why is Nigeria not on FIATA website? And the question is, why did they owe money? How much is it? Because beside the subscription they collect annually, government gives them subvention.”
When reminded that there was a change in leadership of CRFFN and that may have affected a lot of things, he said, “We are not saying that there was no change in leadership. That is why we are saying that there must be constant engagement. If there is engagement, even if there is a change in leadership, there won’t be any gap in administration. Besides, why is it only Nigeria that owes money? Is it only in Nigeria that they have change in leadership?”
But in a sharp reaction, the Registrar of CRFFN, Nwakohu recalled telling this medium in the past that “I inherited a CRFFN that has lost its membership of FIATA” adding that “recently, I also said to you that I am proud to inform you that we have liquidated our outstanding.”
He further recalled telling this medium that “the next stage is to go through the processes of readmission and that was where we were before Covid stepped in.”
Also speaking, the Head, Education and Training, CRFFN, Dr. Alban Igwe who is a desk officer in-charge of FIATA readmission said, “We have not lost connection with FIATA. Covid has interrupted many things, even the Minister gave us approval to go to Switzerland in March, we didn’t go, nobody went, the meeting did not hold. FIATA convention this year was supposed to be next month in South Korea, that meeting is not only cancelled, it is not going to hold in 2021 but 2022.
“We were also supposed to go to France for a programme, that programme has also been postponed. Even in Nigeria, it is not every place you want to go that you will go. As for whether we have paid, we have paid. He (Registrar) came, he pursued after the payment, he did not incur the debt, but he pursued debt. In fact, he got more than we need to pay because he went to the budget office and made a case and we owed up to 2019. He had got the payment up to 2020.
“I also wrote them because I am a Desk Officer for this and ask them if we can pay 2020, they said no, let them finish our readmission because what we are paying is outstanding. FIATA is a standard organization, we can’t force them, we can’t be too hasty to say please readmit us. If you have been delisted, you have been delisted.
“The only crime we committed is that we did not pay money and we have resolved the crime, we have paid. So, it is for them to do the needful. During the Covid, we have attended a number of FIATA programmes online because they will always invite us. I can give you all the invitations. So, our relationship with FIATA is intact, it is just formalities.
“So, we have no option than to make sure that we are in line with FIATA. Right now, we are facilitating for Kaduna Inland Dry Port to be recognized as port of origin and port of destination on behalf of KIDP and the Shippers’ Council. We had a Zoom meeting with FIATA Chairman for Africa and Middle East, so, if we are not in good standing with them, they wouldn’t have listened to us.”
Photo: The Registrar of Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Samuel Nwakohu.
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