By Olubunmi ISOKPEHI, Lagos
Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarders in Nigeria (CRFFN)
election is likened to Nigerian election and if measures and strategies are not taken care of the council may once again create more problem than envisage.
This was the assertion of the founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Dr. Okechukwu Aniebonam, during an exclusive interview with GLOBAL RAYS Media in his office at the NAGAFF village, Apapa.
Aniebonam stated, “what is going on now in reckon with the forth coming election of the Council is the recruitmemt of people who are not freight forwaders.”
He continued, “something is wrong somewhere and what is wrong is that regulation and control of the council is not effective as at this moment, particularly for the purpose of election.”
He asserted, “Contestants have commissioned agents in Abuja recruiting people and registering them for the purpose of election. That was how the election was rigged in the maiden election, where we met with people we have never seen in the industry carrying identity card as a professional.
That was why some people who flew from the US ended up winning the election without campaign. That is what is going on now.”
Aniebonam frowned at the process of the election, “NAGAFF is also recruiting, if we must win this election because there is no barrier, no register for the purpose of this election”.
He posited, “That is why we have raised N100 million, and we are ready to go further, because we want to rent crowd also, that is what they are doing and that is how the maiden election was rigged. Crowd was rented and documented for the purpose of election, which non of them is a freight forwarder.”
He added, “this is not an election of CRFFN members, its going to be an election of touts, it doesn’t make sense”
He charged the electoral body of the CRFFN to make use of the register of freight forwarders prior to this election.
His words, ” Don’t register new person, even if you must register, it won’t be for the purpose of this election, so that you can get the right people that will add value for the conduct of the administration of CRFFN, there’s nothing wrong in any body being a member of CRFFN, but not for the purpose of election.”
Aniebonam indicted the ministry of transport’s involvement in this forth coming election with so many questions yet to be unraveled, “why taking election to Abuja? Can we really say CRFFN is aware of this election?
