Ex-CRFFN Chairman Laments Knowledge Gap, Ignorance in Freight Forwarding Sector

—Says Terminal Operators, Shipping Companies Capitalizing on it

By DAPO OLAWUNI

The former Chairman of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) Aare Hakeem Olanrewaju has said that there is an existing knowledge gap and ignorance among practitioners in the Nigerian freight forwarding sector, adding that shipping companies and terminal operators are cashing-in on these ignorance to extort the practitioners.

Speaking exclusively with DAILY TREND recently in Apapa, Olarenwaju who is also the Chairman of Customs Consultative Council (CCC) observed that most of the freight forwarders and licensed clearing agents are not exposed, and majority still lack basic education.

Speaking on the demurrages and delays in dropping of containers for examination,
he said there was need for freight forwarders to always engage shipping companies and terminals from point of knowledge.

“If you write a terminal operator to position your container for examination and they reply you that they are having congestion inside their terminal and that it would take two weeks for the container to be positioned, for that two weeks, it is no longer your fault, and the terminal should stop your demurrage from that day.

“The terminal operators are so smart, that is why I said they are profiting from our ignorance, immediately you write them to stop your demurrage, under 24 hours , they would send you a message that your container would be dropped the next day, this means that they have sacrificed someone else’s space for you.

“Sometimes, they could tell you that they have not dropped your containers for examination, what you should do is to write them immediately and ask them to stop your demurrage because the fault is not from you. For the number of days that container is delayed, they would not charge you demurrage.

“These Shipping Companies don’t know me and I don’t even know their office, but that is the standard procedure which i personally deploy.

“This is why we have been calling for attitudinal change among freight forwarders and licensed customs agents and the need to be trained.

“Thank God for my training and international exposure, I travel to other countries and I compare notes, this is what I used to tell our people when I was still Chairman of the CRFFN.

“You can see that apart from me as Chairman then, up till now, nobody has taken them outside the shores of Nigeria to share notes with other practitioners outside Nigeria, and to see how the job is done in other countries.

“For example, I know what is obtainable in Ghana, Cameroon and other neighbouring countries and how these shipping companies and terminal operators operate in these countries.

“I ask questions, if Maersk Line is charging us an amount here, I can call my counterparts in Kenya to let me have his invoice and compare notes. These Shipping companies and terminal operators are enjoying from our ignorance.
In Nigeria, we have rules and regulations, but we don’t apply them” he said

Aare Olarenwaju also enjoined freight forwarding practitioners to always make use of conflict resolution mechanisms that have been put in place by government agencies, especially the Nigeria Customs Service, and the complaint desk of the Nigerian Shippers Council.

“Look at the Customs today and how they are operating, they have resolution tables at the various commands, unless you don’t want to take advantage of these conflict resolution mechanisms, most of the clearing agents as a matter of fact do not access these channels of dispute resolution, and this is why customs officers hold them to ransome.

“You can even write the CAC of the command and complain that your cargo is being held by an officer” he said

Aare Olarenwaju particularly fingered Maersk Line and its terminal operator in Nigeria for being the most culpable of trying to manipulate freight forwarders, especially on demurrage.

“It is only Maersk Line that does that, if you go to PTML, they would not tell you that they are not dropping your container, it is only Maersk Line” he said

The ex-CRFFN Chairman urged clearing agents and freight forwarders on the need to start advising their clients and importers to boycott these shipping lines and terminals that are not doing well and those that have poor customer relationships.

“We are the ones on ground, and we are to advise the importers.
We equally have some bonded terminals that are owned by Nigerians and yet they issue exorbitant charges to extort Nigerians.

“When I was Chairman of CRFFN, I was pouring money on training and retraining of freight forwarders, but now, everybody is just after money alone, all the freight forwarding associations, I trained them all.
The CRFFN now have a new Registrar, if they call for advise I would oblige them, everything has to do with leadership” he concluded