ICPC Asked To Cleanse CRFFN

A Freight Forwarder, Chief Livinus Igbo, with office at No.1 Greek Road, Nnewi Building, Apapa, Lagos, has written a petition to the chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) about alleged financial mismanagement and corrupt practices in the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).

He stated that before the “council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria Act, 2007,” there was no central organisation for clearing and forwarding agents (Freight Forwarders) in Nigeria.

Igbo said the council has been managed in contradiction to its enabling law and that the composition of its membership has been faulty as all the freight forwarding associations are not allegedly well represented in the body.

He said the freight forwarders for the past three years have not rendered the council’s account contrary to Section 9 of CRFFN Act, 2007.

According to the chief, some members of the council have been allegedly running the CRFFN without accountability, as they consider it as a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Transport as against the paragraph 10 of the CRFFN Act which states: “A person shall not by reason only of his membership of the council be treated as holding an office in the public service of the federation.”

He stated that the current governing council and management of the international body of freight forwarders, popularly known as FIATA, allegedly falsely stated that CRFFN is a private company.

He alleged that the council collected N250,000 last year, and shared it among the Governing Council members and management.

The ICPC has been implored to look into the lack of transparency and accountability and absence of due process in the operation of the CRFFN from its inception to date.

—Moses Falobi