The Nigerian Association of Air Freight Forwarders and Consolidators (NAFFAC) has called on the incoming government of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to on assumption of office come May 29 work towards ensuring constant electricity supply in the country so as ensure the survival the freight forwarding industry in Nigeria.
Speaking in an interview with Primetime Reporters in Lagos recently, the National President of NAFFAC, Mr. Chukwuka Ani Thomas Agubamah stated that in this era where Nigeria was adopting the internet for clearing purposes in the country, adequate electricity supply was key to the realization of the gains inherent in the electronic transactions.
Agubamah expressed the hope that the incoming President Muhammadu Buhari would continue on the foundation already laid down by the Jonathan’s administration especially in the area of privatization of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
According to him,” he has to make good pressures and make sure that the DISCOs (Distribution Companies) are doing what they are supposed to do by the agreement, generate the power and distribute. So, how do they generate power without gas? The raw materials needed for power generation should be made adequate for them. Please for goodness sake, let the new President build on the foundations of the Jonathan’s administration so that this country generally speaking is supplied adequate electricity”.
The National President regretted that many institutions of higher learning in this country ranging from the Colleges of Education, the Polytechnics as well as the Universities do not have transport studies in their curricular adding that such studies should be included in the curricular of the different institutions of higher learning as soon as possible.
He further argued that with the general knowledge of transport, one would easily understand the nuances of the freight forwarding profession.
He also called for an improvement on the access roads to the seaports and airports in the country saying that when one visits the airports and seaports in the country, such a person would have to find chaotic situation as there had been a misuse of land space even as he posited that the nation’s airports were not designed to cater for cargoes.
“Our airports are mainly built to serve passengers whereas for cargo services, they have not been so treated. Many of us think that once we build cargo warehouses near the airports, we have established efficient cargo service, it is not like that”.
“So, we will like a situation where the incoming President will call the Minister of Aviation and do a proper review and assessments of the cargo operation basically the use of land space around the airports and what am saying is, I want to see the government giving sufficient support to aviation handlers, equipment is very expensive , what does it take away from our national income if we say pay 5 or 2 percent for your hard equipment , when I say hard equipment, I mean the ground equipment is used specifically for aircraft handling because at the end of the day, whether you collect 20 or 30 percent on all those things, the cost will still be thrown back to the shelves in the supermarkets and in the streets”, he said.
The NAFFAC boss there called for a review of the customs duty on ground handling equipment by the Ministry of Finance arguing that these equipments were very expensive as well they were not being manufactured locally in the country.
While calling on the incoming government to encourage the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) to regulate the industry, Agubamah expressed the hope that Buhari would appoint the right people to man the Ministries of Transport, Aviation and that of Finance contending that,” anybody who read transport you put him into Aviation or Transport, you see him perform because he understands the dos and the don’ts there”.
