CRFFN Governing Council Enabling Act And The Mischevious Misinterpretation

There is palpable tension in the freight forwarding industry following the refusal of the Governinng Council members of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) to leave office, even after their tenure has expired.

Stakeholders have been raising various alarms over what this action potend for the freight forwarding sector.

Frontline freight forwarder and former member of CRFFN’s Freight Forwarders Consultative Forum, Mr Chidi Anthony Opara has said that since the tenure of the current Governing Council members have elapsed, any action taken by them will be considered null and void and to no effect.

DAILY TREND NEWS reports that since it was inaugurated by the Minister of Transportation in year 2018, the Council has not made any meaningful impact on the freight forwarders it was meant to regulate.

The CRFFN as part of its functions is to organise training and capacity building for freight forwarders, but in the past two years, no capacity building has been conducted.

Recently, the Nigerian freight forwarders were further vexed when the CRFFN announced that it was commencing the collection of a controversial fee; Practitioners Operations Fee (POF)

Mr. Chidi Anthony Opara expressed concerns in a report sent to our correspondent that the Nigerian “sit tight” syndrome that is prevalent amongst public office holders has hit the CRFFN.

“Some of the Governing Council members have as a result, resorted to mischevious misinterpretation of the establishing act (act 16 of 2007). They erroneously claim that the act stipulated a two-year tenure for the appointees and a four-year tenure for the elected members of the Council”

“The act under reference, established a Governing Council made up of 17 appointed and 15 elected persons as members of the Council. The act provides also a two-year tenure which commences on inuguration by the Minister of Transportation”

“The above means that the Council is one indivisible entity and operates that way. Bearing in mind this imperative, one is at lost regarding this sudden irrationality of different tenures for members of one organization”

“There is no where in the act in which it is stated that there would be different tenures for the elected and the appointed members. It is clearly stated in the act that the tenure of the Governing Council members for every session is two years” he said