Nigerian ship owners have joined forces to form a forum. The joining of forces by the original ship owners is coming on the heels of divergent views and rancour among Nigerian ship owners who belong to various ship owners associations in the maritime industry.
These associations that aligned include the Nigerian Ship Owners Association (NISA) and the Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (SOAN).
Meanwhile, uncomfortable with the rivalry among the indigenous ship owners, the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, had in a recent public forum in Lagos asked Nigerian ship owners to come together to form an umbrella body.
It was in furtherance of this directive that the key players in these associations held several meetings in Lagos that culminated in the formation of an umbrella body called Ship Owners Forum, with a Lagos-based lawyer and shipping practitioner, Mrs. Margaret Orakwusi, as the Chairman.
It was report during the weekend by one our news reporters that, The Ship Owners Forum confirmed the development in a statement issued in Lagos, titled: ‘Ship Owners in Nigeria, Unite Under One Umbrella Body’.
In another development, the immediate past Chairman of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding Practice in Nigeria (CRFFN), Alhaji Hakeem Olanrewaju, has identified the root cause of the problems plaguing the council just as he pointed the way forward.
Olanrewaju who is also the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Talod Oceanair Freight Limited, in an interview with THISDAY in Lagos, revealed that a lot of vested interest had combined to prevent the progress of the council.
He warned that an entrenched cartel, individuals or groups activities can not be allowed to continuously subvert extant laws of the federation and by extension, deny the federal government of its due and much needed internally generated revenue.
Also, the whole essence and intendment of this Act 16 of 2007 is to establish a Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, charged with the responsibility, among others, of determining the standards of knowledge and skills to be attained by persons practicing or seeking to be a registered member of freight forwarders of Nigeria in accordance with the provisions of this Act,” he said.
Giving an insight into the challenges bedeviling the council, he stated that proper administration of the CRFFN continues to be resisted by a cabal which are refusing to be regulated.
“A few of them contested and failed an election at the maiden election into the governing council, thereby resorting to frustrating efforts to put the council on a strong footing. They became apostles of the slogan of “status quo ante” which they manifest in different antics. Few of these elements with their glorified gangs of touts parade themselves as industry gladiators. Most times, they instigate court actions all in a bid to stampede the CRFFN administrations, within the professional administration.
“Other challenges faced by the council were certain entrenched interests, power tussles and egotism on the part of notable leaders, whose antics also pointed to disapproval by conscience against the regulatory regime. The greatest monster was the associations’ entrenched interests and open display of power drunk and arrogance against the general professional interest and that of the regulatory council,” Olanrewaju who is also a chieftain of the Association of Nigerian Licenced Customs Agents (ANLCA) said.
He expressed regret that in 2010 to 2011, the council opened its register and called for registration by practitioners, over 5000 freight forwarders picked up forms for registration and close to 2000 corporate firms completed registrations.
The erudite licenced customs agent stated that during and after accreditation processes, just a little above 2000 practitioners are said to have completed the registration exercise and accreditation processes and names posted into council register.
He also stated that a little above 400 corporate firms appeared on the council register.
Olanrewaju spoke against the backdrop of the protracted face-off between CRFFN and some key players in the maritime industry, especially licenced customs agents.
Amaechi had in a recent public forum in Lagos read the riot act to the various freight forwarding associations. He also ordered them to meet with the regulatory CRFFN and resolve the differences.
Amaechi gave this directive while addressing the leaders of the various freight forwarding associations. The associations that are registered by the CRFFN include the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, Association of Registered Freight Forwarders if Nigeria(AREFFN) and National Association of Freight and Aircargo Consolidators (NAFAC).
