By Eugene Nweke
In the light of our collective failure to appreciate the quantum benefits of our regulatory council, the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, CRFFN and our inability to form a united front towards repositioning and administering our professional destiny, our nonchallance to cope with our professional woes in real terms, nor mustering capacity to solving our challenges;
Then, I begin to ask: Are we bereft of professional ideology and sound knowledge? Are we not guilty of professional rape, recklessness? Are we not culpable of a monumental self deception?
Are we not, each one of us, by huge display of detrimental camaraderie to our profession, unethical behaviors and professional compromises without recourse, plotting an incapacitated profession, endlessly?
Are we just practicing the profession in the reverse order for no purpose, hobnobing and engulfed with unprofessionals in their resorts to champion industry malpractices, even proving to the maritime industry stakeholders that we are an unregulateable group in an unregulated environment?
Do we still have the captains of this noble profession? Yes, we do, unfortunately and helplessly, many have taken the sideline of “sidon dey look ” while the profession is dying.
When and where a supposedly nucleus driver of a value supply chain, suddenly resorts to constitute a weaker chain, then, a backbench option or a possible replacement is sure to happen, but God forbid!
Dear professional colleagues, the hour has come for us to rejig our collective commitments towards taking our professional destiny into our hands, if not for anything else, for legacy and posterity sake.
It is time to streamline those factors that divides us and close rank on those factors that unites us for the better.
We have opened our professional space enough for foreigners to take a centre stage and subsequently helped to compromise our national security space via the activities of the international trade cartels, transnational corporation (tnc) and the unholy alliance and activities of first generation terminal operator with shipping lines affiliates.
Let us for once, be deliberate to embrace true professionalism and by extension close our doors against internal division, segregation, sentiments and misconducts.
Must we continue to condone operational extortion, exploitation, humiliation, unequal trade treatments, unlevel playing field, double handling, arbitrary charges, ripped off and yet blackmailed as bribe givers, and even imprisoned for accepting to deal, while other collaborators to the same crime, sit back as untouchables?
It is time for a willful coming together to reposition our profession and realign it among the comity of global professional freight forwarding nations.
Let us bear in mind that, professionally, ours is an essential services providers in the maritime/port industry value adding supply chain. The totality of our professional actions and inactions falls back to Nigeria populace positively or negatively.
Let us be determined to effect a professional change today, for our common good, we can make it happen.
Think about it, and tell me, “Weep Not Child”, as a way of professional reassurance.
Long live the Freight Forwarding Professionals.
Thank you for you time.
Fwdr Eugene Nweke Rff, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.
Photo: Dr. Eugene Nweke.
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