Lamentations as Freight Forwarders Adopt ‘sidon dey look’ Attitude to Allow Failure of CRFFN

* Ex-NAGAFF President calls for unity to save freight forwarding profession from eminent collapse, take-over by foreigners

By Francis Ugwoke
The former President of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Eugene Nweke, has raised concerns over what he described as ‘sidon dey look’ attitude of freight forwarders in the fate of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).

Nweke said it was a clear case of failure on the entire freight forwarding professionals not to appreciate the huge benefits of the CRFFN and inability to form a united front towards repositioning and administering our professional destiny.

He argued with this attitude, freight forwarders have simply opened the professional space enough for foreigners to take a centre stage in their own country.

He also added that this was another way of helping to compromise the national security space via the “activities of the international trade cartels, transnational corporation (tnc) and the unholy alliance and activities of first generation terminal operators with shipping lines affiliates”

Nweke said this should not continue, adding it was time for the freight forwarders to “ rejig our collective commitments towards taking our professional destiny into our hands, if not for anything else, for legacy and posterity sake.

“It is time to streamline those factors that divide us and close rank on those factors that unite us for the better.

”Let us for once, be deliberate to embrace true professionalism and by extension close our doors against internal division, segregation, sentiments and misconducts”.

Nweke’s full statement at the weekend reads:

“In the light of our collective failure to appreciate the quantum benefits of our regulatory council ( CRFFN) and our inability to form a united front towards repositioning and administering our professional destiny, our non-challance to cope with our professional woes in real terms, nor mustering capacity to solving our challenges;

Then, I begin to ask:
“Are we bereft of professional ideology & sound knowledge, are we not guilty of professional rape, recklessness and are we not culpable of a monumental self deception???.

Are we not, each one of us, by huge display of detrimental camaraderie to our profession, unethical behaviour and professional compromises without recourse, plotting an incapacitated profession, endlessly??

Are we just practicing the profession in the reverse order for the no purpose sake, hobnobbing and engulfed with unprofessionals in their resorts to champion industry malpractices, even proving to the maritime industry stakeholders that we are an unregulateable group in an unregulated environment?

Do we still have the captains of this noble profession? Yes, we do, unfortunately and helplessly, many have taken the sideline of “sidon dey look ” while the profession is dying.

When and where a supposedly nucleus driver of a value supply chain, suddenly resorts to constitute a weaker chain, then, a backbench option or a possible replacement is sure to happen, but God forbid!

Dear professional colleagues, the hour has come for us rejig our collective commitments towards taking our professional destiny into our hands, if not for anything else, for legacy and posterity sake.

It is time to streamline those factors that divides us and close rank on those factors that unites us for the better.

We have opened our professional space enough for foreigners to take a centre stage and subsequently helped to compromise our national security space via the activities of the international trade cartels, transnational corporation (tnc) and the unholy alliance and activities of first generation terminal operator with shipping lines affiliates.

Let us for once, be deliberate to embrace true professionalism and by extension close our doors against internal division, segregation, sentiments and misconducts.

Must we continue to condone operational extortion, exploitation, humiliation, unequal trade treatments, unlevel playing field, double handling, arbitrary charges, ripped off and yet blackmailed as bribe givers, and even imprisoned for accepting to deal, while other collaborators to the same crime, sits back as untouchables.

It is time for a willingful coming together to reposition our profession and realign it among the comity of global professional freight forwarding nations.

Let us bear in mind that, professionally, ours is an essential services providers in the maritime/port industry value adding supply chain. The totality of our professional actions and inactions falls back to Nigeria populace positively or negatively.

Let us be determined to effect a professional changes today, for our common good, we can make it happen.

Think about it, and tell me, “Weep Not Child” as a way of professional reassurance.

Long live the Freight Forwarding Professionals.

Thank you for you time”.

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