Facts have emerged on how the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, NAGAFF may have Influenced the removal of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, CRFFN from the list of agencies receiving budgetary allocation from the federal government annually.
Primetime Reporters reports that although the federal government may have taken a decision not to fund professional institutes anymore but a letter from NAGAFF to the National Assembly may have triggered the inclusion of CRFFN on the list.
Speaking in an interview with our correspondent in Lagos on Friday, the founder of NAGAFF, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam said that the action of the federal government on CRFFN did not come to him and members of the association as a surprise.
“Well, let me give it to him (President Tinubu) but I am telling you that NAGAFF wrote an extensive document to the National Assembly telling them that funding CRFFN is a waste of resources because the Act provided for self-sustenance in Section 6. So, it does not make any news to members of NAGAFF including myself as the founder, the action of the government. I could rather say the a Daniel has come to judgement as it affects freight forwarding and logistics business operators.
“The Council is self sustaining by the Act but you know all these most lazy Nigerians, they want government to keep on spending money for what should not be. So, your question to me now is laughable because what I said in 2007 is coming to fruition now,. It is not late, that is why the Acting Registrar is now visiting various associations seeking for collaboration to enable them to be self sustaining.
“The Federal Executive Council has given us an approval to implement that Section 6 of the Council Act. But we will get it right in the sense that when we agree to do the right thing, our Council will blossom. The Council can sustain itself moreso, the approval has been given. So, her (Acting Registrar) visitation is quite okay, I was not around, even the President was not around but we have been properly briefed. I hope she will see other association”, he said.
Aniebonam maintained that the Council should understand that it was charged with the responsibility to control and regulate the freight forwarding in Nigeria, set it up as model of best practice. Pointing out that they were starting all over again, he said, “As I speak to you now, conversation has started again. I am in touch with Shittu of ANLCA, Ernest Elochukwu, Taye Oyeniyi, the President of ANLCA as well as the President of NAGAFF, we are putting heads together to see how we can get this working.”
“The Council cannot do much if it is not funded and the approval is there. The most important aspect of the Council’s responsibility is education, training of the young freight forwarders to acquire skills and knowledge and then, professionalize freight forwarding business. That has not been achieved. But to me, it’s like, some of them I have talked to, everybody is willing to reason and I am sure you will now agree that CRFFN is not an agency of the government. The matter has sort out itself now because if government is not funding your operations, what is it all about?”, he added.
On whether the federal government has the moral right to deduct money from the revenue collected by the CRFFN when it’s not funding it, he said, “If you look at Section 5 of the Council’s Act, the Minister of Transportation – Presidency, gives direction for the proper management and administration of the Council. Of course, government has interest, inherent revenue. That’s not an issue but remember that we actually brought government into that because of the various misunderstanding we are having.
“But even at that, it doesn’t make any sense to me, after all, you look at this call up system, the consultant doing that job, government has interest, money goes to government purse. Government money still belongs to Nigerians, it’s not a personal money to anybody. Why are you worried if government is taking 30 or 50 percent? Is it not public fund? Government takes it and still plough it back for public goods, why are you worried?
On whether or not government should still appoint members of the Governing Council for CRFFN, the founder of NAGAFF said, “Go and look at the Act, government is not acting out of context there, the Act stipulated that and I see a pseudo Council, we have partial autonomy. After all, the Chairman of the Council is a practitioner not an appointee of the government.
When reminded that the Chairman of the two past Councils was not a freight forwarder as provided for in the Act, he retorted, “Amaechi is our brother, he has done his bit and he has gone, let’s not talk about that one.”
Speaking on the apparent diversion of cargo to the neighbouring ports as a result of high exchange rate which would in turn deny the CRFFN of revenue, he said, “When you enter through an approved route, you pay duty. In the contract of affreightment, one has a destination. If you destined your cargo for Nigeria and it became a transit good, it won’t go to anywhere, the final destination is Nigeria. It means when you land in Cotonou, you proceed to Nigeria by land and when you go through the approved route, you pay the appropriate revenue.
“But now that you are using the word diversion, it means cargo that is meant for Nigeria, other than getting to Nigeria, it is discharged at Cotonou without reaching the final destination. That’s criminal, that means you are trying to come in through unapproved route and that has to do with smuggling and of course, smuggling is a phenomenon, it’s a normal thing. So, what is left for our government is to ensure that our borders are protected.”
Photo: Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, founder of NAGAFF.
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