CRFFN Election Logjam: Amaechi Should Act Now, Stop Listening to Camp of Petitioners – Aniebonam
Pic 3 Minister of Transportation, Mr Chibuike Amaechi briefing State House Correspondnts after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday (2/1/18) 0015/2/1/2018/Callistus Ewelike/NAN
*Majority of associations have given direction, it is left for him to act
*Minister should stop talking to individuals but consultative forum through CRFFN
By Francis Ugwoke
The Founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, has called on the Minister of Transportation, Hon Rotimi Amaechi to stop listening to the camp of petitioners and act now based on the resolution of the freight forwarders associations on the issue of election into the Governing Board of the Council for Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).
Aniebonam said that the associations have so far given a direction to the Minister as to what to do for the CRFFN election, adding that it was wrong for him to continue to listen to the camp of petitioners.
Speaking to SHIPPING DAY, he said the associations of the freight forwarders have obeyed the order of the Ministry of Transportation by holding a meeting for the reconciliation of the differences between the associations and the independent candidates, which according to him was shunned by the latter.
He said that instead of attending the reconciliation meeting as ordered by the Ministry, the independent candidates chose to shun the exercise.
Describing the CRFFN as established basically for the purpose of getting the freight forwarders/customs brokers united for one voice, the NAGAFF founder maintained that so far the action of the associations was to achieve this objective.
He also explained that ordinarily , the Ministry should not be talking to individuals or corporate members but to the Consultative Forum of Stakeholders through the CRFFN.
He said, “CRFFN is basically to control. The word is found in Section 5 of the Act. The power of the Minister to give direction and control. The Act also says the Minister will speak to the members of the Council and indeed the freight forwarders will be reached through the Consultative forum . And anything done in the Consultative Forum becomes the aims, objective, intensions, aspirations and the desire of the freight forwarders which should be put in force by the Minister. In other words, the Minister does not need to speak to freight forwarders either as individuals or corporate other than the Consultative Forum through the Council. That stakeholders meeting we held at Eko Hotel was directed by the Minister of Transport. That is implementing Section 5 of the Act. So all these players under the Consultative Forum came together and gave themselves a direction and asked the Minister to go ahead and implement. What is difficult about that and what is the essence of control?
“What is the reason for the CRFFN Act. Primary reason is to bring all the contending forces together so that they can speak with one voice. The next thing is to set standard through qualifying examination and code of conduct and others. The ultimate is professional standard “
“If you note many of us have decided to keep quite, we keep on talking and talking, and to a large extent now, the camp of petitioners have taken the order of the day. Several petitions going to the Transport Minister and some of the write-ups are amusing.
“It will tell you the level of decadence in terms of knowledge as to the subject matter. I have read where somebody said individuals are not even obliged to vote in the election. I have read where the former Vice Chairman in the second Council saying individuals should not even vote but corporate body. What does that mean. If somebody at that level can say a thing like that…. I was reading it and I got angry and threw away the document”.
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