A former National President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Eugene Nweke has given his reasons for withdrawing from the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) Governing Council election slated for March 9, 2022.
Nweke in a letter he addressed to the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi through the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani dated March 1, 2022 and made available to our correspondent, blamed his withdrawal on intelligence reports with regards to the activities of the Election Committee on one hand and the collusion of some of the committee members on the other hand.
While regretting that a supposedly professional regulatory council election had since been turned to a market union association election, he pointed out that professional integrity and future advancement of the profession was on the bleak as the electioneering process that was expected to add value towards professional integrity and development had been mortgaged on the altar of compromises for material benefits.
He submitted that with what’s on ground, the result of the election had been decided even as he insisted that diversionary press statements were deliberately sponsored to divert attention from the ongoing collusion and perfection on ground.
“I insist that professional integrity, diligence and standard should be a watch word, but with series of subtle threats and unwholesome plotting against me, may, I unequivocally posit again, that, if purposeful and selfless service is our pursuit in this election, then, to serve in the CRFFN Governing Council is not a do or die affair”, he said.
Nweke, however, reiterated that his involvement in the contest was that driven by a commitment to ensure due diligence and the deployment of professional integrity in the electioneering process having been a victim of a compromised professional Governing Council election in 2018 stating that as an interested party, he took out time to attend every meeting, participated in both mutual and general discussions in that regard.
According to him, “If you can recall, last year, before the tactical postponement of the election, I pointed out the following fundamental flaws revolving around unequal playing field tacitly supported by the Transport Ministry as thus:
“1. The inability of the supervisory Ministry to order for the return and recovery of the operational vehicles given to majority of the past governing council members who are re-contesting in the forthcoming election defeats the sense of neutrality and casts serious doubts on the transparency of the process. The open boasts and the posture of ‘continuity all the way, we are in-charge’, continuously filtering from some of the immediate past governing council members who are recontesting in the election gives further credence to the assertion above. How do you reconcile the fact that a fellow contestant in a regulatory governing council election is cruising in a council’s branded vehicle while you are driving yourself to a meeting on your self help vehicle? By implication, the Ministry has not demonstrated good fate towards assuring that the election is to birth a fresh governing council election rather a continuity being perfected.
“2. The Use Of associations’ secretariat as registration and annual subscription renewal point other than the CRFFN Lagos Office: Last year, during the electioneering process, it was also observed the Registrar, instead of allowing the freight forwarders to register and renew their annual subscription online or open its Lagos office for the registration and annual renewal exercise, for whatever interest, resorted to use and deployed both equipment and staff to the secretariat of some of the accredited associations whereby according undue advantages over the other contestants. How do you reconcile going into a regulatory governing council election while fellow contestants are handy with the comprehensive data and contacts of the eligible voters and you have non, but going cap in hand pleading with known practitioners to register or renew their annual subscription?
Here again, it was reported that this process gave room for the registration of mercenaries for the purpose of winning election thereby creating room for monopoly.
“Obviously, this tactical special arrangement from the management team only afforded the accredited opponents the leverage to store email addresses and phone numbers of the eligible voters whereby campaigning, mobilizing and strategizing ahead of the official publication and subsequent election, by so doing, it disfranchises me in the contest.
“As a stickler to due diligence, by way of campaigning for votes, I devoted time visiting practicing freight forwarders in their offices and at any possible fora, selling my intention and mission into the CRFFN Governing Council and also encouraging them to register or renew their membership annual subscription.
“After the Minister’s directive in early February, 2022 for electioneering process be organized and anchored on the provisions of the CRFFN enabling Act, deriving its stance on the side of the constitution of the Federal Republic, I kept faith hoping that the Ministry through its election committee will maintain an unbiased umpire, hence, I sustained my course of this modest process and canvass.
“Usually, it is not encouraging during electioneering processes to keep totally away from your known political opponents, as such I resorted to peep into the political opponents camps, especially to ascertain their level of preparation in readiness for the election. Here again, the following discoveries discouraged and weighs down my enthusiasm and grew my disenchantment for the electioneering processes:
“1. The Registrar is seen by the independent contestants as being generous only to the accredited associations. Recently, he issued a letter directing the accredited associations to mobilize their members towards perfecting their memberships registration and annual subscription renewal in order to be eligible to vote during the election, while keeping the Independent contestants in the dark without contacting or communicating with them.
“2. The fundamental flaws noted and feared in item 2 above played out fully.
“3. From interactions, some of the transport Ministry Election committee members had compromised themselves, playing the role of insider information trading which took an unbecoming dimension and the process itself compromised.
“4. As a mark of protest to this insider trading leading to the willful change of contestants from one operational zone to another, we observed this with two other contestants to this effect, then completed and uploaded a new form onto the provided email address on Sunday 28th February, 2022. This action prompted the quick reaction of the committee as exhibited on the CRFFN G.C ELECTION platform and we laughed over it. However, I put a call to the platform admin to register my displeasure.
“5. In buttressing this further, it was reported yesterday by an online publication: https://dailyfocus.com.ng/fmot-makes-u-turn-approves-individuals-participation-in-crffn-elections-as-aniebonam-urges-associations-to-protest/. The news piece noted in strong terms that due to insider trading activities of some members of the committee, contestants makes selection of an operational zone outside his known operating zones. In the same vein, the electorates themselves appears unconfined to their respective operational zones but are equally mobile and movable.
“6. In view of 3 above, the committee published a guideline to the effect that it compromised the following:
“a. The guidelines neither contain nor give room for the publication, display and circulation of lists of eligible voters and time frame for list verifications by the electorate and contestants, at least having an understanding of the prevailed circumstances and reports that trailed the registration process.
“b. The printing of contestants ballot papers ahead of contestants screening process, by implications, it had by assumptions, okays all to be correct and concluded without an iota of contemplation that contestants may be disqualified during the screening process.
“Usually, it follows that in a transparent and credible election, during the screening objectives, there are set screening criteria for candidates to attain as prerequisite to qualify and stand in an election. For instance, mandatory professional qualification, integrity tests, clean bill of health to regulatory compliance & requirements, e.g. prompt tax payments, backgrounds checks on contributions towards professional advancements, etc.
“The Notice merely provides that, after screening of candidates, the next process is an election date, then a time frame for entertaining electoral complaints.
“7. Other materials evidences to buttress the non transparent nature of this process are deliberately preserved for a later consultation.
“8. It is obvious that, the arrangement in place and the acts exhibited so far, merely portrays a supposedly professional regulatory governing council election a semblance of a full political party both in words and deeds thereby throwing the essence of professionalism to the gutter.
“It is in view of the above highlighted flaws and for the sake of preserving ones professional integrity intact and equally having conferred with my sponsors and supporters, I wish not to entangle myself in an election marred with fundamental flaws and falling short of professional modesty and lacking in integrity.
“On this note, I hereby most humbly and temporarily withdraw from the electoral contest into the CRFFN Governing Council Membership Election 2022 pending such a time a credible professional regulatory governing council election will be conducted to inject the needed professional integrity devoid of the above observed fundamental flaws.”
He, therefore, thanked the Honourable Minister for his attempt to discharge his obligations by giving direction of essential character to the CRFFN management when it mattered most especially on his insistence for the rule of law to prevail in the Governing Council Election.
Photo: Dr. Eugene Nweke, former National President, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF).
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