APFFLON EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER FRAUDULENT ACTIVITIES IN CRFFN
** Petitions Transport Minister
By Mcanthony Onuoha
Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria – APFFLON, has expressed worries over perceived fraudulent activities that have characterized the management of Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria-CRFFN.
The National President of APFFLON ,Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, in a telephone chat with the Prestige Blended Magazine, stated that the Council has failed to address some of the concerns raised by stakeholders over an ongoing conspiracy and connivance of the management of CRFFN and the acclaimed accredited associations to bastardize the CRFFN rules and regulations.
Ogunojemite said that the associations have failed to pay their annual subscriptions for over six years and have continued to parade themselves as accredited associations.
According to APFFLON President, “the implication is that there is no compliant “accredited” association in CRFFN at the moment. Going by the CRFFN Act, all the “accredited” associations ought to have been deregistered in compliance with the Council’s Rules of engagement saying they have failed woefully in that aspect and are no longer worthy to parade themselves as CRFFN accredited associations”.
Continuing, Ogunojemite stated that the shenanigans going on unchecked in the Council have attested to the fact that the Registrar of the Council is in an unholy relationship with the leaders of the so called accredited associations and can not extricate himself of complicity.
” It is also regrettable, sad and roundly shocking that these associations which have failed to meet the demands of the law by paying their subscription fees to CRFFN for years now have started receiving the N200,000.00. monthly stipend being their share of the Practitioners Operating Fee (POF)”.
However, in a petition to the Honourable Minister of Transportation, with reference number APFFLON/HQT/FMT/ Vol: 2.22, dated 9th Sept., 2022, and captioned “Call for investigation of illegalities at Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria; corrupt Registrar and fraudulent Associations”, APFFLON said that it was compelled to lend its voice in condemnation of the illegalities that have characterized the affairs of the Council. ” Some of these illegalities had been listed in previous petitions to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Mrs. Magdalene Ajani and the former Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, but it behoves on us to highlight them again and also bring unfolding ones to your notice.”
NATIONAL PRESIDENT OF APFFLON, OTUNBA FRANK OGUNOJEMITE
” The CRFFN Act recognizes three categories of memberships, they are Associations, Individuals and Corporate Bodies. However, the officials of the Transport Ministry and the CRFFN, in contradiction of the provision of the Act, have been recognizing, engaging and relating with only one of the three categories, being the associations, while totally sidelining the other two categories and denying them of their rights. It is worrisome that the CRFFN only invites associations to its functions and programmes shutting out Individuals and Companies where deliberations and decisions on issues affecting the three categories of CRFFN membership are made.”
“Recall that it was the same Act that compelled APFFLON to voice out against the ploy by the leadership of the acclaimed accredited associations to stop the other two categories from contesting in the Council election while proposing an undemocratic formula of 6-6-1-1-1 which was endorsed by the management of the Council under Barr. Sam Nwakohu, but was later quashed by the Former Transport Minister, Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi.”
However, APFFLON in the letter congratulated the Minister of Transportation Engr Mu’azu Sambo, on his appointment urging him to look into the Council’s activities and address the monumental fraud going on in the council.
