…Says it’s a thing of joy
The Association of Registered Freight Forwarders, Nigeria (AREFFN) has described as a thing of joy, the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi’s directive to customs agents to resolve their issues with the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) within two weeks or face withdrawal of their licenses.
The National President of the association, Dr. Frank Ukor who made the position of the association known in an interview with Primetime Reporters in Lagos Monday stated that AREFFN had always complied with all the directives of the Council stating that the association did not have any problem with the directive.
He disclosed that the leadership of the association had drafted letters which would soon be delivered to the CRFFN and to the Minister of Transportation respectively indicating their readiness to comply with the directive.
According to him,” The Minister coming to give that directive, it is a thing of joy. We like it, we are going to comply. As a matter of fact, we have already typed a letter and the letter will leave this place to CRFFN and to the Minister telling them that we are ready to comply. We have always supported CRFFN.
“The problem all these while is as a result of, I will always continue to say, is the former CG of customs who wanted to shield some people. I have always said that 70% of licenses issued to practitioners belong to the customs officers and because section 19 (1) and (2) of the Act 16 says that before any authority can issue license, they must get a letter of introduction from CRFFN. What this means is that before customs can issue licenses or renew licenses, they must ask for evidence of membership of CRFFN and that evidence should be certificate of registration.
“And then you discover that if those customs officers that have licenses should go to CRFFN, they will be discovered, so, to shield them, customs made it impossible using somebody in one of the associations to block and frustrate whatever CRFFN is doing in that regards.
“Now that the former CG has gone, a new CG has come and that new CG cannot play the politics of the customs, he is a clear minded person. That is why he is now ready to accommodate and implement that section 19 (1) and (2), before they renew licenses, they must ask for evidence of registration with CRFFN”.
He recalled that Minister disclosed that he was going to discuss with the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) so that before licenses of those who had earlier gotten their licenses from customs expires and they goes to renew them at the various commands where they work, they should go and bring their evidence of registration with the CRFFN.
“It is a very good development, we like it. As a matter of fact, I am seeing a Minister who is very proactive. This Minister is very proactive and if this is done, sanity will be returned to the maritime sector”, he said
He however warned that the customs agents had been using intimidation as their tool of trade pointing out that they may want to intimidate the Minister but expressed happiness that the Minister was well prepared for then this time around.
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