10 August 2013, Abuja – The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, CRFFN, has urged the Federal Government to lift the ban imposed on collection of transaction fees.
The Registrar of the Council, Mr Mike Jukwe, made the call on Friday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Abuja. NAN reports that transaction fee is the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, of the CRFFN approved by the Federal Ministry of Transport.
CRFFN is the only umbrella body formed by an Act of Parliament in 2007 for regulation and control of freight forwarding in the country.
Transport Minister Idris Umar had in 2012 stopped the Council from further collection of the approved transaction fees, because of the crisis between the council and Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA.
The suspension, NAN investigations revealed, was based on ANLCA’s disagreements over the sharing formula of the fees. Jukwe told NAN that the council had stopped the collection of the fees pending the lifting of the suspension order by the ministry.
“We hope that suspension of collection of the transaction fees by CRFFN will be lifted by the Ministry very soon,” he said. On the ongoing enforcement of the operations of the freight forwarders in the ports, he said, “the transaction fees collection has nothing to do with our enforcement.”
NAN recalls that the enforcement started on Aug. 1, but the Council had given a month’s grace for freight forwarders to register and get their identity cards and certificates.
Jukwe said the Council would embark on an operation from Sept. 1, to rid Nigerian ports of quacks and unregistered freight forwarders operating illegally.
“The Freight Forwarders are responding very well and happily too. I must commend them for their understanding and cooperation,” Jukwe said. Jukwe said the Council had also contacted the Ports’ Police Command to enhance the enforcement.
