CRFFN Governing Council scheme to extend tenure dangerous, Ex-Chair

 Harboursandport.com: Lagos - Immediate past Governing Council Chairman of the Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, CRFFN, Hakeem Olanrewaju has warned that ongoing scheme by the present Governing Council, led by Alhaji Tsani Abubakar may spark industry disruption.

Olarewaju added that the current administration’s attempts to seek legislative cover to upturn its tenure will be resisted any less ongoing tactics to force registration of members when the Governing Council should be preparing its handover note will be met with equal resistance that may throw the port industry into disarray.

The ex-Chairman accused the Federal Ministry of Transportation of not only allowing itself to be misled but appeared to be promoting its wrong advice offered to it by the Abubakar led CRFF board, ostensibly to find reasons to engage in unwholesome antics that is not good for the industry.

He warned that unless the federal ministry of transportation and its minions at the governing board follow due process and turn in their handover note without further waste of time, the industry may witness major disquiet, noting that freight forwarders will not sit by and allow some misguided, corrupt and greedy elements unleash selfish and unacceptable practices in the industry.

Olarewaju in a statement signed by him and made available to Vanguard Maritime Report said he feels obliged as a former leader in CRFFN to express concern so that the industry does not fall into disrepute.

He said, “I am deeply constrained to posit and dwell on the above subject matter, mostly so, coming from me as the immediate past Governing Council Chairman of the CRFFN. The present flyers in circulation being a notice for all members to register themselves properly by possessing the mandatory qualifications is what was expected of the governing council and management to have kick-started since 2018.

“Turning around to issue such professional notice, at this crucial time, when the tenure of the Third Governing Council has elapsed since July 2020 ( i.e. July 2018 to July 2020); if professional administrative focus is anything to go by, the right notice to be reel out to the Professionals is NOTICE OF ELECTION INTO THE GOVERNING COUNCIL AND THE ELECTORAL GUIDELINES THEREIN.”

He argued that attempt focus on professionals’ registration at the end of its tenure is not only an invitation to coerce members along its infamous path at tenure elongation but further attempt to cause industrial disharmony.

“One may begin to consider this administrative notice on the grounds of legitimacy and viewed from the point of view of a clandestine move to coaxing the practitioners while the real issues are left unattended to.

“You recall that it was reported in the news, where the Governing Council was accused of plotting to extend their tenure by two additional years. To this moment, there is no official rebuttal to this report. One obvious fact, that must be stated and put straight, is that the Act 16,2007 is an extant laws of the Federation, as such pending the conclusion of the amendment process presently ongoing at the National Assembly relevant provisions are extant.

“Most importantly, the Council remains a professional council with clear legislative intents and purposes. Therefore, the governing council members are hereby encouraged not to truncate nor make mockery of its two years statutory democratic elective succession as provided in the act, for mere parochialism.”

The former chairman said the latest development and other happenings also touches on the very essential nature of the CRFFN as a professional body and wonders at the tenacity of the federal government to hijack it for political purposes.

 

“First let me start with the canvasses and discussion at different quarters beyond the professional settings. May I state that it has been a subject of professional discussion at different fora, whether or not that the CRFFN is supposed to be an agency of the government or an independent self-sustaining professional regulatory council? Better still, is the Council packaged as a Public-Private Partnership?”

 

The front line freight forwarder picked holes in the ministry of transport’s unending attempts to convert CRFFN into a government agency, despite that the council through the legislative instruments that produced it was designed to enthrone, strengthen and sustain professionalism in the Freight Forwarding Profession in Nigeria, contrary to government plan to use it as a revenue making organ.

 

He says, “One can vividly say or state here, that, pursuance to the actualisation of her interests, the government through the supervisory ministry, subtly changed the narrative, as the practitioners were astonished and helpless when in 2018 during the Governing Council constituting process; as provided, to conduct an election to elect the Governing Council Chairman and Vice, which was the provisional obligations and professional standards set by the first and second Governing Council, but unfortunately, before our own eyes, the enabling provisions was sacked for government core interests, as the Minister solely decided on who will be the Governing Council Chairman.

This singular action presents an arrangement that portrayed the tendency for elective power shifts and flow from legally elected professionals to unduly imposed, and appointed quangos which the practitioners derisively dubbed as " Quangocracy".

He flayed the untiring quest by the transportation ministry through its appointees in the council to distort facts by engaging in questionable undertakings such as the recent attempt to obtain a legislative review of tenure and other issues through the back door.