CRFFN Slams N80,000 Registration Fee On Licensed Customs Agents

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Fresh indications has emerged that the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has commenced annual registration of Freight Forwarders, even as the Council may have pegged corporate license owners registration at N80,000 per annum.


Inside sources at the CRFFN governing board confirmed to DAILY TREND that individual freight forwarders are however required to pay N10,000 as annual fee.


Corporate members of CRFFN apart from registering with CRFFN are also expected to be registered with the Nigeria Customs Service and renew their  licenses with N250,000 annually before being allowed to practice at the ports.


The highly placed source who pleaded anonymity confirmed to our correspondent that the Council would soon commence issuance of biometric identity cards to freight forwarders.


Licensed Customs Agents had lamented that since the initial registration and payment of N 15,000 in 2010, many of them have not been issued their identity cards.


Some of them had also knocked the Council for its inability to issue identification cards to practitioners nine years after it  kick started registration of freight forwarders in Nigeria.

The membership drive of the CRFFN was kick started in year 2010 under the then leadership of Hon Tony Iju Nwabunike as Chairman of CRFFN.

About 5, 000 freight forwarders registered with the CRFFN during the registration process.


But our source disclosed that the biometric identity cards would not attract any extra fees as it has been included in the annual registration fee paid by the freight forwarders.


At a familiarisation visit to the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Hadiza Bala Usman on Monday by members of the CRFFN governing board, it was gathered that the board had sort NPA’s corporation in the issuance of the new biometric identity cards.

Speaking, our source said “It was a familiarisation visit, secondly is to talk to the MD about the issue of port pass and how to facilitate it for clearing agents. NPA issues the port pass while CRFFN only issues identity cards to freight forwarders”


“The moment NPA issues a port pass, and CRFFN issues identity cards, no other identity cards will become relevant again”


“The identity cards are going to be biometric, they are already working on it, and it is the SW Global that will handle it”


“The biometric identity cards is also one of the reasons we are going on this visit, so that whatever we issue, NPA would be able to identify fake or original”


“Because of the dues they have paid to the CRFFN, the identity card would not attract extra cost. Registration is also ongoing, corporate licenses to pay N80,000 while individuals pay 10,000”

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