There seems to be a conspiracy of silence among the leadership of the five freight forwarding associations accredited by the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) as the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi has purportedly suspended the inauguration of the 32-member Governing Council for the CRFFN.
It will be recalled that this medium had last week reported that the 15 freight forwarders elected a fortnight ago to represent the practitioners alongside the 17 appointees of the Federal Government would on Friday 13th of July, 2018 be inaugurated by the Honourable Minister of Transportation, Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in Abuja.
The Registrar of CRFFN, Sir Mike Jukwe who disclosed this in Lagos a fortnight ago on the sideline of the election said that the inauguration would be preceded by a retreat for the Council members after which they will elect for themselves a Chairman and Vice Chairman in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
According to Jukwe,” The fifteen candidates elected today, together with the seventeen that have been appointed will make up a full governing council, we are going to have a retreat for the council members next week Thursday in Abuja, after the retreat, they will elect from among themselves the Chairman and Vice Chairman in accordance with the provisions of the Act and then on the following day, they will be inaugurated to go ahead and perform their functions”.
However, Primetime Reporters investigations revealed that the inauguration could not go on as planned following the intervention of the Minister of Transportation, Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi who put the inauguration on hold on the ground that he needed to study the entire electioneering process and possibly revisit, respond to and clear all petitions on his desk first so as to be sure that there were no impediments trailing the whole process.
The elected freight forwarders and the leadership of the five accredited associations though disappointed with the Honourable Minister of Transportation over this development, however, it appears that they have taken it in good faith, thus the conspiracy of silence.
Stakeholders who had waited to hear the outcome of the inauguration which was supposed to unveil a Chairman and Vice Chairman for the CRFFN Governing Council were left in the dark as there was no official statement from the Registrar of Council, Sir Mike Jukwe announcing the suspension of the inauguration as was the case in the two time postponement of the election of the practitioners into the Governing Council nor from the founder of NAGAFF, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam who practically became the mouthpiece of the accredited associations prior to the election of practitioners.
The interim National Secretary of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders Nigeria (AREFFN), Mr. Chidi Anthony Opara who first broke the news of the suspension of inauguration to our correspondent said, “Inauguration will no longer hold on Friday. The Minister has rescheduled the inauguration”.
Confirming the development, a former National President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Eugene Nweke said,” Report filtering in indicates that the governing council chairman/ vice election cum inauguration ceremony slated to hold tomorrow 14th June, 2018 has been postponed by the HMOT, new date has not been announced.
“The reason for the cancellation is not too clear other than reports that the HMOT want to study the whole electioneering process and possibly revisit, respond to and clear all petitions on his desk first to be sure that there are no impediments trailing the whole process.
“This announcement made the accredited associations elected officers to feel disappointed with the HMOT; however, it appears that they have taken the directive in good faith, thus, amidst conspiracy of silence.
“By the time day breaks tomorrow (last week Friday), it is expected that, the Registrar will issue an official press statement to this effect”.
Meanwhile, all efforts made to get the official reaction of the CRFFN management to this development proved abortive as all the telephone calls put across to the Registrar, Sir Mike Jukwe and Head, Corporate Affairs, Mrs. Chinyere Uromta were not successful as at the time of filing this report.
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