STOP POLITICIZING CRFFN ELECTION FOR SELFISH INTERESTS; APFFLON CAUTIONS ASSOCIATION LEADERS
***Commends Abubakar Tsanni for unveiling plans to shortchange freight forwarders
*** Says all the intrigues are midwifed by greed and insatiability
By Mcanthony Onuoha
Following the politics and intrigues heralding serious individual and group interests in claiming some of the seats in the Governing Board of Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria- CRFFN, blames and name calling have persisted, signalling a possibility of postponing the planned election.
While some of the leaders of the associations that enjoy numerical strength are trying either to lobby or browbeat others into accepting a sharing formula of 6:6:1:1:1, others have unequivocally made clear their preference for independent candidacy.
Reiterating its stand on the critical issue, is Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria- APFFLON. In a telephone chart with the Prestige Blended Magazine, the association strongly maintained that “despite all the lobbying and horse-trading by those who see themselves as demi-gods in the industry, that the best measure to strengthen the faith of freight forwarders in CRFFN and it’s management remains allowing the wish of freight forwarders to prevail over that of a known cabal that have continually taken advantage of every process to enrich themselves to the detriment of the rest of the industry players”.
According to APFFLON, “every Association started as a small group before attaining its present numerical status. So trying to belittle or look down on other groups who have prominently registered their presence in the industry by its contribution and flair for the welfarism and respect for freight agents across board is totally unacceptable. No one has the monopoly of insults; trying to humiliate or forcefully bring other groups to submission by whatever antics should be reconsidered because we are all stakeholders in the industry and none of us is an alien. Badmouthing or literally casting others in bad light because of your selfish interest is something APFFLON can not take from anyone regardless of social or professional status”.
“The hawks are desperately doing everything possible to hijack the council again with money bags who lack every clue about good representation and policy making, that only succeeded in holding the council down for four years and counting”.
APFFLON, further maintened that ” saying that individuals and groups must speak to the CRFFN administration through the registered Associations while as the choice and right to associate with people is an exclusive reserve of an individual, and not only that, the registration process of the Council provides columns for individual registration and does not compel anyone to belong to any association before becoming registered with the council as a freight forwarder. So saying anything in the contrary and backing it up with unfounded logics and quotations is a desperate longing to hijack the Council”.
“Talking of Blackmail, intimidation or cohesion of the Government is completely out of it because there is no greater intimidation than stampeding the council and making spurious claims all in the bid to aligning grossly flawed and selfish plans in the electoral process”.
“Nevertheless, we, as a group fault name callings by those who seat at their ivory towers to always call the shots in the industry where revered professionals ply their trade. Frankly speaking, those trying to hijack the process with claims of being the founding fathers of the Council are still the ones de-marketing the Council and its administrative staff, and at the same time, re-fielding colossal failures that were in the Council for four years”.
“As Maritime advocacy group that is poised on fairness, collective welfarism and professionalism,we strongly maintain that the 6:6:1:1:1 sharing formula be jettisoned, as we advise the Hon.Minister of Transportation, to prevail over the cabals and the Council Registrar to grant freight forwarders their collective wish of giving individual members a chance to vie for the Council seats.”
“Besides, the clamour for 6:6:1:1:1 is aimed at distracting the practitioners and industry watchers from their leadership posture which is presently under serious question”.
Meanwhile, APFFLON has aplauded the past Chairman of the CRFFN Governing Council, Alhaji Tsanni Abubakar, for telling truth to power. Abubakar, in a recent interview he granted to Prime Time Reporters, on September, 26, 2021, accused the Management of the Council, Federal Ministry of Transportation and the leadership of the five accredited freight forwarding associations of politicizing the planned election.
Alhaji Tsanni, who claimed he to have been reappointed by the President as CRFFN Governing Board member, accused them of trying to frustrate the election because they wanted to appropriate the proceeds of the Practitioners Operating Fee (POF) to themselves. Adding that the permanent Secretary and the Registrar didn’t want the Governing Council to come in hence trying to create room for the accredited freight forwarding associations to come up with the 6:6:1:1:1 sharing formula knowing full well that if they go to Court, the election would be postponed indefinitely.
APFFLON, cautioned the Permanent Secretary of the Council not to allow her integrity to be run aground by compromising her values for selfish interest, urging her to trade with care.
Furthermore, APFFLON slammed those parading themselves as Industry Lords, saying that they are after their personal welfare, and not that of freight forwarders, hinging all the politics and intrigues surrounding the election on greed and insatiability.
