1-Year After Tenure Expiration, CRFFN Board Members Still Cruise Council’s N25Million Operational Vehicles

By DAPO OLAWUNI

More than one year after their tenure in the Council has expired, immediate past governing board members of Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) have allegedly refused to hand over the operational vehicles of the council given to them.

DAILY TREND NEWS recalls that several Hilux jeeps worth N25million each were purchased by the CRFFN and handed over to the various committees headed by governing board members as operational vehicles to ease their job.

When the vehicles were handed over to them in 2019, there was widespread anger among freight forwarders at the port who lamented not seeing any effect of the CRFFN on their freight forwarding practice.

Even though the Council members are expected to submit the hilux jeeps immediately after leaving office, our correspondent’s investigations however revealed that they are still cruising around town with the vehicles after leaving office.

Speaking with our correspondent, a port activist and Cordinator of Save Nigeria Importers, Freight Forwarders, Exporters Coalition, Chief Osita Patrick Chukwu warned that Nigerian matitime sector is under economic risks, especially from some government officials.

He said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should be invited to query why the CRFFN officials have failed to hand over the Federal Government property.

“These vehicles are not supposed to go with the Council members, they are supposed to have dropped it, many of them were using these vehicles for their private businesses even though it is meant for official functions” he said

Chief Osita advocated that whoever among the board members that have used the car roughly, the stipend meant for such a person after serving in the board should be cut off.

“You cannot be given a car to drive while in office for two years, and you are using it for four years”

He said the erring CRFFN board members should be arrested while the vehicles should be retrieved.

“The Registrar should call the EFCC or even alert the police to collect back the cars”

“The government should stop buying of these kinds of vehicles for CRFFN officials while Nigerian freight forwarders are suffering”

“The vehicles are 2020 model of Hilux jeeps and are worth more than N20million. Meanwhile, the money meant for growth of freight forwarders is not being utilised”

“The council members are scheming to overstay in office, this is why they have refused to support the call for election into the Council”

“The position has become too sweet for them to leave, many of them cruising in government vehicles can no longer appear in their personal cars because it would be too old for them, let them go and purchase a vehicle of N20milliom with their own money” he said

Also speaking, Tin Can Island Chapter Chairman of APFFLON, Fwrdr Emeka Nwosu told our correspondent that the CRFFN Council members are not entitled to the government properties still in their possession.

“It is because the Registrar, Mike Nwakohu does not know what to do, if he should write to them, they must submit the vehicles because it was only allocated to them and not gifted to them, you cannot continue to cruise in government number plates even when you are no longer in service ” he said