By Abimbola Abdullahi
. Alleged non-financial members teleguiding council
The former Governing Council Chairman, Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (CRFFN), Aare Hakeem Olaranwaju has urged the Federal Ministry of Transportation, to allow only credible freight forwarders who are financial members to participate in the forthcoming election.
Olanrewaju, in a letter to the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani and obtained by SlyeNews, applauded her prompt intervention in the modalities earmarked for the election of new members of the council.
He however, alleged that some practitioners who default in financial obligations are forging alliance teleguide the CRFFN administration, saying this must be stopped while the genuine practitioners should be allowed the steer the affairs of the council.
His words: “The accredited associations are clamouring for election sharing formula in furtherance of their subtle quest to continually teleguide the CRFFN administration, even doing so when they are not in professional good standing with the CRFFN, as records have shown that, they do not pay their respective registration and annual subscription fees to the CRFFN, excerpt for individual and corporate members who pays or subscribe annually, but not the association in their statutory recognition as the third category of membership by the Act.
“This singular act is the injustices the accredited associations is meting out yearly to the corporate and individual membership category who officially register and subscribe annually
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“Invariably, such accredited associations by professional regulations does not have the moral and Professional temerity to talk about any election sharing formula and the POF sharing percentage when they are not compliant with the provisions of the regulations.
“Paying attention to them under the present election quest, while they are owing for more than 10 years subscription fees in arrears and non official registration fee on the part of some of the accredited associations is the height point of managerial weakness on the part of the registrar of the CRFFN cum the supervising ministry.
“It is on this premise, that the need to caution in strong term, that enough of compromising or conceeding regulatory powers and objectives to a regulatee, is apt,” he said.
Olanrewaju also noted that the inadequately structured electioneering processes for electing the 15 practicing freight forwarders into the CRFFN Governing Council was flawed in many ways.
He flayed the appointment of those he called “non-practitioners” across the country to represent the geo-political zones in the council.
To him, such appointment should be made among the practitioners with respect to the intent and true reflection of a professional regulatory Governing Council and not an advisory board in the order of government agencies under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Transportation.
“The appointed government agencies nominees should be picked from each agency departments related to freight and logistics concerns. This will make room for balance and ease of regulation making processes”, he added.
In order to address some of the ills that is plaguing the council, he enjoined Ajani to be resolute with her earlier position that only credible freight forwarders should be allowed to contest professional election with or without accredited professional associations inclination or membership.
According to Olanrewaju who is also Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Talod Oceanair Freight Limited, one of the administrative challenges the first and second Governing Councils contended with was the subtle moves to take over regulatory powers from the Governing Council members and the management team. But the Governing Council and management team has to stick to its regulatory posture to resist the move.
Describing it as “an ambush perfected by the accredited associations”, he picked holes in the idea of pushing for sharing formula of 6:6:1:1:1 in the forthcoming election into the council.