The Acting Registrar and Chief Executive of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, CRFFN, Mrs Cecilia Chinyere Uromta is seeking the approval of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy to effect urgent amendment of Council’s Act.
Uromta made this request in an address presented to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola during his maiden visit to the Council headquarter in Lagos on Wednesday.
Speaking to Minister during the visit, the Acting Registrar admitted that the Act establishing the Council portrayed it only as a professional body without capturing it as a regulatory agency of the federal government as well as an international regulatory body for freight forwarding standards set up by a United Nations and globally recognized body called the International Federation of Freight Forwarding Associations, FIATA.
According her, “His Excellency Sir, the Act that created the agency did not take cognizance of the fact that the agency’s core mandate was to regulate freight forwarding practice in Nigeria, rather the Act provided for the agency as a professional body hence we are making a clarion call for urgent amendment of the CRFFN Act.
“Correcting the anomalies in the Council establishment laws, with the expanded Blue Economy mandate of the Ministry of Marine and the AfCFTA regime, we need an amended Act that addresses education, registration and regulation of the freight forwarding practice in Nigeria.
“The repositioning of the Council will definitely bring the sanity that is required in the freight forwarding industry and invariably also impact on revenue generated from our regulatory functions”, she submitted.
Group picture of the acting Registrar with some staff of CRFFN after the minister’s visit on Wed
Speaking further, Uromta equally appealed to the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy to assist the Council in facilitating CRFFN integration with the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, and the Nigerian Ports Authority over the Lekki Deep seaport which she said were the sources of the Council’s IGR.
In her words, “following the removal of subsidy from the petroleum products, CRFFN should be allowed to collect Practitioners Operating Fee, POF on wet cargo which is another source of IGR for the Council.”
Picture of the Acting Registrar, making a presentation during the Minister’s visit to CRFFN Heaquarter in Lagos on Wednesday
“The government needs to allow us get our revenue perfected to avoid what will affect the Nigeria’s profile at the FIATA congress”, she stated.
The Registrar further maintained that the auto deduct policy of the federal government which deducts 40 percent of the Council’s revenue at source in favour of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, CRF was considered very high and had been affecting the Council’s capacity to meet up with its critical financial obligations as a result of her recent removal from personnel budget by January 2024.
“We are hopeful that the Budget Office of the Federation shall address this matter with a view to reviewing downwards, the 40 percent remittance or complete removal of same”, she added.
