Ex-CRFFN Chairman, Hakeem Olanrewaju Charges Amaechi to Show Commitment to Freight Forwarding Sector
…Seeks Inclusion of More Women in CRFFN Governing Council
By DAPO OLAWUNI
The former chairman of Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) Aare Hakeem Olanrewaju has charged the Minister of Transportation, Hon Rotimi Amaechi to show cause and commitment towards the attainments of professionalism in the freight forwarding industry via an effective and efficient CRFFN administration.
Olanrewaju expressed concerns over the anomalies in the CRFFN Governing Council under the Minister’ watch.
According to him, the various freight forwarding association owners and leadership have resorted to selecting forwarders that are royal to them to go into the council, adding that, some of them coopted and compelled some of their members to pay millions of naira in other to secure their nomination ticket to represent their Associations in the Governiing Council.
According to Aare Olanrewaju, the CRFFN as it is being administered today has derailed from its original focus, while the operators are only after selfish monetary gains.
He said “It is an act of deliberate compromise for the CRFFN to designate its registration portal ( for both new membership and annual subscription registration activities) to an interested party ( association Secretariat) during an electioneering process, whileas the CRFFN has a conducive and functional office complex in Lagos and other zones.
“It was also reported that, soon after the election, the registers of freight forwarders drops drastically, on account of non annual subscription in the subsequent years, till another election year, leading to membership data fluctuation, inconsistency and poor data keeping with regards to “real time comprehensive register of freight forwarders” that can be presented or accessable at any given time. This is an outright abuse of professional regulation and maintenance of professional register”
“The present scenario in the industry, suggests that, the regulatees now decides the future of the regulator, this is a sorry state, as there is no end to this scenario, especially so in the face of the electioneering process and setting.
He urged the Hon Minister to “Settle down and take a second look at the electioneering process, otherwise, it will be regarded , looking the other way when so many compromises and issues are going wrong with the agency under your supervision.
“Looking the other way or feigning ignorant of it will tantamount that your nonchalance towards the freight forwarding profession is premised or construe as your non conversant with the roles and importance of the freight forwarding profession cum practitioners to the nations economy” he said
For the avoidance of doubt, he listed rhe goals and aims of the CRFFN to includes but not limited to:
a. Regulating and controlling the practice of freight forwarding.
b. Regulating and controlling the associations of freight forwarders.
c. Regulating and controlling persons who are engaged in freight forwarding.
d. Determine the persons or classes of persons who constitute Freight Forwarders for the purposes of this Act.
e. Determine the standards of knowledge and skill to be attained by persons seeking to be registered as Freight and raising those standards from time to time in accordance with international industry practice.
f. Securing, in accordance with the provisions of this Act, the establishment and maintenance of registers of person entitled to practice as registered Freight Forwarders and the publication from time to time of the list of such persons.
g. Embark on continuous certification of freight forwarders.
h.. Creat membership development toolkit ( Continuous Professional Development – CPD).
i. Ensure uniform standards of education, training and professional conduct of practitioners.
j.. Etc.
Aare Olanrewaju stated that the role of women in a professional governing council leadership can not be over emphasized, as such, he encouraged Amaechi to emulate the formal Minister Yusuf, who in making his appointment included reasonable number of women into the Governing Council, during the first and second governing council.
“In the past, we had list of reputable and seasoned civil servants, whose immense roles and contributions in advancing our regulatory obligations can not be measured nor quantified during the first and second governing council and they are:
a. Mrs Chinwe Ezenwa – Rep. FMOT.
b. Mrs Anne Mkpor. – Rep. NPA.
c. Mrs Vincents Rep..FAAN.
d. Mrs Dabney Shaholma. Rep. NSC.
e. Mrs A. Bidy – FF Rep.SS..
Today, under your watch from 2018 to date, only 2 women are seen contesting an election, while the aspect of increasing women inclusion by appointment seems not encouraging” he said