Daily Independent (Lagos)
8 July 2009
Lagos — Minister of Transport, Ibrahim Isa Bio, has charged the members of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) to ensure due process and zero tolerance for corruption in all the processes and procedures involved in the accreditation and registration of potential freight forwarders in the country.
The minister, who delivered a keynote address at a two-day strategic retreat for members of the council in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, enjoined the council to partner with other organisations and parasatals under the ministry to ensure it fulfil its statutory roles and responsibilities as enshrined in the CRFFN Act 2007.
The council was inaugurated last year by the erstwhile Minister of State for Water Transport, John Okechukwu Emeka, after a keenly contested election at the Transcorp Hilton Holton, Abuja.
The council, comprised mainly of freight forwarders, otherwise known as licensed customs agents, seeks to professionalise the theory and practice of freight forwarding in Nigeria, a profession, which has been bedevilled by unethical practices in recent times.
It is also saddled with the responsibilities of registering freight forwarders practicing in the country.
Bio, who was represented on the occasion by the Assistant Director, Maritime Services in the Federal Ministry of Transport, Danjuma Alabi, urged members of the council to make professionalism their watchword in the discharge of their duties.
The minister, who sued for effective collaboration between the council and other sister agencies to bridge any regulatory gaps and develop strategic partnerships, noted that such partnerships should be extended to other stakeholders such as the Nigeria Customs Service, port service providers, major terminal operators and concessionaires.
His words: "I am glad that the parasatals of the ministry have been invited to this retreat and expected to play key roles. They are the arrowheads of the maritime industry in the country.
Speaking further, he said, "We expect that regular and professional courses, workshops, seminars and conferences would continue to feature prominently in the affairs of the council.
"In doing this, we need to be reminded that the world is now a global village. The council should endeavour to tap from international best practices to ensure its services are competitive and could match any in the world".
Besides licensed customs agents, part 1, third schedule, section 'f' of the CRFFN Act provides for the inclusion of the representatives of the Federal Ministry of Transport, Federal of Finance, Federal Ministry of Education, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in the Council, to ensure effective inputs of a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the council discharges its functions.
Others are the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Railway Authority (NRC), Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mining and Agriculture (NACCIMA).
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