NAGAFF Asks Members to Embrace Registration Fees by Shippers Council, Lambasts Individuals Opposing Exercise

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• Says opponents of registration fees may have no offices
• Insists no genuine practitioner will say no to registration
By Francis Ugwoke
The President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Chief Increase Uche, said registration of operators in the nation’s maritime industry by the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) was a good development and should be embraced by all practitioners.
Describing the exercise as in line with international best practices, Uche said all genuine operators in the industry should have no reason to oppose it.
He said it was surprising that few individuals have been opposing the exercise, adding that such people were not sincere.
The NAGAFF President who said that his members have started the registration exercise was of the view that those who oppose the exercise were individuals who may have no offices to register.
Uche described the fees being collected for the registration exercise as stipends to cover administrative costs which nobody should complain about.
He said that with the reduction of the initial fees by 50 percent, no one except few who may have other ulterior motive should oppose the exercise.
“The NSC as the Ports Economic Regulator in the ports industry and by virtue of the law establishing it, they are entitled to register every operator in the industry and by so doing it might require stipends to get them registered, It is normal for every other agency of the government. Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) collects registration fees too from shipping agents, terminal operators and others. The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) also do the same.
“You discover that every agency does it, even NIMASA that registers vessels collects registration fees for profiling of operators, so what NSC is doing is right. I have heard some people arguing why should NSC collect registration fees. It is in order as far as you have one or two things to do with the NSC, so that in the event of you looking for their assistance they will confirm that you are a known practitioner. So there is nothing about that”.
Uche advised those opposing the exercise to have a rethink as the fee being demanded by the Council is considerate.
He said, “some of them making noise now may simply be those who don’t even have offices. They are the ones discouraging others not to register. No practitioner who understands the importance of NSC will say they will not register. For instance in our case as freight forwarders, it is freight forwarding companies, corporate bodies not individuals that register and what is required is N5,000. Every professional practitioner knows that in the course of your belonging to international professional bodies, you pay your annual fees. Even those overseas companies where we network with other freight forwarders across the globe, we pay registration fees. Even as a registered company, you do annual returns every year, so I begin to wonder why people should be opposing the registration, trying to cause trouble where there is none.”
He said NAGAFF will soon issue a statement urging those who are yet to register to do so with the NSC.
The registration takes effect from April 1, when those who could not register will not enter the ports.