More litigation will arise as a result of the sharing formula for the Practitioners’ Operating Fee by the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, says the immediate past President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, Olayiwola Shittu.
In a chat with Financial Street on Monday, Shittu explained that the current sharing formula proposed that a certain percentage meant for the individual freight forwarder should be routed through the associations.
He supported those advocating for individuals not registered in associations to participate in the election into CRFFN.
“Those advocating for individuals only to participate in the election into the CRFFN are toeing the right part and I throw my weight behind them, because this ‘selection’ by adventurers through political consideration is the reason the council is not moving forward,” he stated.
Shittu suggested that in the coming election into the council, associations should have little or no role to play.
His words, “In the coming elections, the associations should have no role to play, because associations are voluntary set-ups, for people to seek redress about their mode of operations.
“The associations have been turned into political platforms for those who hold the association by the jugular, to dictate the tune of what impacts registered freight forwarders.”
According to him, freight forwarders did not register into the CRFFN through the associations, as some associations only facilitated the information to their members and enlightened them on the need to register with CRFFN.
He explained further that a lot of freight forwarders, who were registered with the council, were not in any association.
“So if I am a member of an association that is not registered with the council, but I am personally registered with the council, I paid my dues and I have my registration number, I should participate in that election, not for people to dictate who among their association members should go and represent the interest of other practitioners,” he explained.
