… As Aniebonam assures of NAGAFF’s readiness
Ten members of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) have picked nomination forms to contest election into the Governing Council of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) scheduled to hold on October 9, 2021.
Among those who have picked forms for the contest were three members of the immediate past Governing Council whose tenure ended in November 2020 namely; Mr. Timothy Awogbemi, Mr. Tochukwu Ezissi and Princess Chy Eze.
Confirming the development to newsmen in Lagos yesterday, the founder of NAGAFF, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam posited that the election was long overdue in order to avoid a repeat of the past experience wherein it took almost six years or more to go into election again after the dissolution of the second Council.
“For us in NAGAFF, we are set and there is no problem about that. You recall that in the last election, we had about 1,300 registered freight forwarders out of which NAGAFF had 1,100 and because we knew what CRFFN is all about which principally was a deliberate effort to bring the contending forces to speak with one voice and then, increase the standard procedure in moving cargo in and out of the port.
“We are ready for election; we have to be inside to discuss the issues than staying outside. We have just concluded the NAGAFF high command meeting, we have asked our men who have the guts, who can respond because you know, going into election in Nigeria is not a small issue. It is for the big boys. So, we have called up our big boys and they are ready to go. As at yesterday, we have concluded session and they have started picking their forms, about ten of them. And as at yesterday, it is a mandate for each person to raise N40 million, I think some of them have started paying in money. We will go in for the election. So, we are ready”, Aniebonam said.
On insistence in some quarters that the Minister of Transportation erred in setting up the electoral committee without input from the relevant stakeholders, the founder maintained that the Minister was not wrong as he acted within the powers conferred on him by Section 5 of the CRFF Act which empowered him to give direction of general character adding that the management and running of the Council was in the purview of the Minister.
“So, if he has appointed the electoral committee, he is in order, there is nothing wrong with that”, he added.
He however stated that “There is nothing that they are doing there that we are comfortable with but there is nothing we can do except the court makes a pronouncement. As at now, CRFFN is an agency of the government, so, you either be part of it or you forget about that until there is an order of the court to that effect. That is why I told you that we have gone back to the Court of Appeal and if we don’t get it right there, we go to the Supreme Court. Right now, the Minister is giving direction on general character, it is left for you to accept it or you leave it.”
Speaking on the choice of Abuja as the venue for the election, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam who is also the National Chairman, New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) said, “That will show you that something is wrong in the system because if something is not wrong in the system, if the administration is proper, peaceful and responsible, you don’t need to talk about that. When you look at the security situation of the country now, how do you move this number of people from Lagos to Abuja to cast their votes? It is not everything that government should be waiting for people to discuss but definitely, we are going to put up a paper to that effect, write them formally to advise that for security reasons, Abuja is not all that conducive. The election should be in Lagos, the main place and may be, one could be around the northern part of the country for border areas to be able to cast their votes just like they did in the last election.”
On the alleged plan to return all the elected freight forwarders back to the Governing Council, he said, “Why would you bring them back? The Court has made an order, it cleared that aspect that their tenure is two years and they have gone and gone for good. As a matter of fact, I was told that they have been asked to return their vehicles. Three of the members of NAGAFF that were in the last Council have picked their forms. Tochukwu has picked his form, Princess Chy Eze has picked her form, Timothy has picked his form, I think about three members of NAGAFF in the old Council have picked their forms.”
“They cannot all pick their forms, NAGAFF is not that kind of organization, we brought out our best. We are going into election now, we are well organized, we have a process of doing things and I have told you that you need to have capacity to be in that election, if you don’t have capacity, you are wasting your time. The form alone is N500,000, after paying that, people have to vote and who are those people who are going to vote and what is their status in the Council? They must be updated because they must be eligible. So, if you are taking about 100 or 200 people to Abuja or Lagos here as the case maybe, you have to clear them to be eligible. So, you cannot get out of this election with anything less than N15 million.”
Photo: Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, founder of NAGAFF.
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.
