CRFFN gets FG approval to collect transaction fees, others 

 

The Federal Government has approved the collection of transaction fees for the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).

Also approved by the Federal Government for CRFFN are registration and annual subscription fees.

In a letter with reference number T.0160/S.172/1 dated 3^rdJuly, 2012, titled RE: REPORT ON THE STAKEHOLDERS MEETINGS ON THE ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION AND OTHER FEES TO BE COLLECTED BY THE COUNCIL FOR THE REGULATION OF FREIGHT FORWARDING IN NIGERIA (CRFFN ) addressed to Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and signed by the Deputy Director, SDM, D. M. Dauda for the minister, the government approved transaction fees for airports, seaports and land borders cargoes.

While N1.5 kobo was approved for air cargoes per kilo, N1,000 and N2,000, respectively, were approved for twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and forty-foot equivalent unit (FEUs) of containers.

The rates include: cars/ jeeps, N500; trucks or a 20-foot container, N1,000; trucks or a 40-foot container, N2,000; general cargo, N3.50k per ton; and dry bulk cargo, N1 per ton.  

Going by imports at the seaports in the country in 2011, which stood at 817, 246 TEUs and the approval of N1,000 per TEU, the council is expected to collect N817,246,000 and even more with the expected cargo increases at the seaports this year and in subsequent years.

This also goes for vehicular imports, from which the council is expected to generate N115,711,500, going by the vehicular imports that stood at 231,423 last year, using N500 per car import.

General cargoes and dry bulk cargoes, respectively, are expected to generate into the council coffers the sums of N46, 497,377 and N12, 877,488, going by this year's trend of traffic at the ports.

Government equally approved various registration fees for Nigerians and non-Nigerians, ranging from N7,500 to N50,000, depending on the category of a person's membership.

Also annual subscription fees ranging from N10, 000 to N60, 000 were equally approved, depending on a person's category of membership.

And to ensure compliance, the ministry directed the Central Office Planning and Information (COPI) of the NPA to "henceforth forward copies of all cargo manifests received to the CRFFN."

The memo stated further: "In addition, the CRFFN should be represented at the Berthing Committee Meetings of the NPA."

CRFFN gets FG approval to collect transaction fees, others 

 

The Federal Government has approved the collection of transaction fees for the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).

Also approved by the Federal Government for CRFFN are registration and annual subscription fees.

In a letter with reference number T.0160/S.172/1 dated 3^rdJuly, 2012, titled RE: REPORT ON THE STAKEHOLDERS MEETINGS ON THE ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION AND OTHER FEES TO BE COLLECTED BY THE COUNCIL FOR THE REGULATION OF FREIGHT FORWARDING IN NIGERIA (CRFFN ) addressed to Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and signed by the Deputy Director, SDM, D. M. Dauda for the minister, the government approved transaction fees for airports, seaports and land borders cargoes.

While N1.5 kobo was approved for air cargoes per kilo, N1,000 and N2,000, respectively, were approved for twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and forty-foot equivalent unit (FEUs) of containers.

The rates include: cars/ jeeps, N500; trucks or a 20-foot container, N1,000; trucks or a 40-foot container, N2,000; general cargo, N3.50k per ton; and dry bulk cargo, N1 per ton.  

Going by imports at the seaports in the country in 2011, which stood at 817, 246 TEUs and the approval of N1,000 per TEU, the council is expected to collect N817,246,000 and even more with the expected cargo increases at the seaports this year and in subsequent years.

This also goes for vehicular imports, from which the council is expected to generate N115,711,500, going by the vehicular imports that stood at 231,423 last year, using N500 per car import.

General cargoes and dry bulk cargoes, respectively, are expected to generate into the council coffers the sums of N46, 497,377 and N12, 877,488, going by this year's trend of traffic at the ports.

Government equally approved various registration fees for Nigerians and non-Nigerians, ranging from N7,500 to N50,000, depending on the category of a person's membership.

Also annual subscription fees ranging from N10, 000 to N60, 000 were equally approved, depending on a person's category of membership.

And to ensure compliance, the ministry directed the Central Office Planning and Information (COPI) of the NPA to "henceforth forward copies of all cargo manifests received to the CRFFN."

The memo stated further: "In addition, the CRFFN should be represented at the Berthing Committee Meetings of the NPA."

CRFFN grants 3 other assocs full accreditation

With controversy trailing the accreditation status given to a number of freight forwarding associations by the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), the body on Monday gave full accreditation status to three other associations.

The associations, which were given the full accreditation status at the CRFFN Governing Council 18th Extra-ordinary meeting, are Association of Registered Freight Forwarders, Nigeria (AREFFN), Nigerian Association of Air Freight Forwarders and Consolidators (NAFFAC) and the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA).

This brings the number of the associations accredited by the CRFFN to five.

It would be recalled that at the induction ceremony held by CRFFN early this year at the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, 1,435 individual freight forwarders, 405 corportae bodies and two associations, which included the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), were inducted.

Customs redeploys Compts

The management of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has redeployed 27 Comptrollers in a move aimed at accommodating a number of Deputy Comptrollers newly-promoted as substantive Comptrollers.

In a shake-up, Comptroller Isa Nuhu has been redeployed from his position as Customs Area Controller (CAC), Tin-can Island Port Area Command, Lagos, to the Human Resources Department, Cu8stoms Headquarters, Abuja.

Comptroller Willy Egbudin was moved from his position as CAC, Kirikiri Lighter Terminal Area Command, Lagos, to CAC Lilypond Area Command Lagos.

Comptroller Ralph Obiora Bellu, was transferred to Zone ‘B’ Headquarters, kadunna, from his position as CAC, Lilypond.

Comptroller O.I moved from the Human Resources Department, taking over from Egbudin as CAC, KLT.

Newly promoted Comptroller A. B. Legg-Jack, A.S. Othman, and Z. A. Jibrin, respectively have been appointed CACs at Cross River / Akwa – Ibom, Seme Border and PTML commands.

Set defined standards for freight forwarders, former ANLCA boss, Elochukwu, tells CRFFN  

Former National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Sir Ernest Elochukwu, has charged the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) to set defined standards for freight forwarding practitioners to operate with.

Elochukwu, while addressing journalists at ANLCA National Headquarters, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos, said that, until the freight forwarding regulatory body establishes ports operations standards which will ensure compliance of freight forwarding practitioners to best trade practices, there will always be friction between freight forwarders and government agencies in the course of cargo clearance from the nation’s ports.

“The average worker or employee of a government agency working at the port goes around with the mentality of being a government man who nobody can dictate to how he should do his job. You see we are not operating standards, part of what has given rise to all the agitations both of the associations and even the Council, is such that with must operate with standards. The essence of the Council, or our working to have the Council on board, is to first start with us, as practitioners, standards we must maintain and to ensure that anybody that infringes of these standards will get sanctioned. Thereafter, we can now approach the government agencies to say that now our members are complying with the international best practices standards we are insisting that the agencies of government must comply, because it takes two to tango, ” Elochukwu stated.

He stressed that the high level of corruption in the nation’s ports is caused by the institutional failings of government agencies, noting that “there is manifest of negligence, of collusion on the part of those who are supposed to be doing the right thing.”

Beninoise Customs chief visits Nigerian counterpart over border security

The two-day working visit of the Beninoise Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Theophile Soussia, ended with a tour of the Customs College at Gwagwalada in Abuja.

The Benin Customs boss had visited the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdulahi, at the Customs Headquarters in Abuja where he commended the Service for its leading role in ensuring the success of the Customs conference held last March in Cotonou, the Beninoise capital.

According to the Service Deputy Public Relations Officer, Assistant Comptroller Joseph Attah, Soussia's visit aims at improving security at the Nigeria - Benin border stations.

Attah said that both Customs chiefs pledged their commitment towards tackling illegal trade in small arms and light weapons across the borders stations.

In his words: "Both Comptrollers discussed further collaboration and also looked at ways in which our border stations will be safer."

Capacity building will enable Nigeria tap maritime potentials, says NIMASA boss, Akpobolokemi 

  Capacity building will enable Nigeria harness the potentials in the maritime industry, according to the Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety (NIMASA), Mr. Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi.

Akpobolokemi, who stated this when he met with the management of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), alongside other NIMASA officials, over the establishment of an Institute for Maritime Studies at the university, lamented that the country has been unable to tap the opportunities in the nation’s maritime industry due to inadequate trained personnel.

He noted that the country’s maritime industry is presently dominated by foreign interests due to inadequate indigenous personnel.

The NIMASA boss added that not until Nigeria trains her own people to take up the trade, the country will not benefit from the gains of the industry as it will result in capital flight from the nation.

“We should be able to train our younger ones to take over the challenges in the maritime industry. We cannot allow non-Nigerians to take over this industry completely and off course we also know that in the area of employment generation because the maritime sector is a good avenue to start from and for you to get the needed manpower you must train them by building capacity first.

“Shipping is like the hub uniting the entire maritime world right now apart from information communication technology but if you do not build capacity, it means that the opportunities that abound in the maritime sector will never be tapped and even when tapped we may not benefit because we do not have the capacities,” Akpobolokemi said.

On why UNILAG was selected as site for the establishment of one of the Institutes of Maritime Studies to be sited across the country, Akpobolokem said that it was as a result of the university's contribution to national growth and development, availability of manpower and its close location to the waterfront.

The NIMASA boss equally disclosed that the Agency will fund the various institutes, which will be established in UNILAG; Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida University, Niger State; University of Nigeria (UNN) Nsukka, Enugu State; and Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, for the next five years before the various universities will take over to the funding.

Akpobolokemi urged the UNILAG management to come up with a robust curriculum that will attract foreign interests.

Responding, Acting Vice Chancellor of UNILAG, Prof. Rahamoni Ade-Bello, said that the visit of the NIMASA boss is a promise kept, noting that Akpobolokemi had earlier promised to make the fund available for the establishment of the institute as soon as the National Assembly approves the budget of the agency.

Ade-Bello assured Akpobolokemi that UNILAG will support NIMASA to ensure that the project becomes a reality, noting that the institution will build upon the long existing relationship between both organisations.

The don added that that establishment of the Institute of Maritime Studies will further solidify the relationship between the duo.