Bar. Sam Nwakohu, CRFFN Registrar.
Story by Dili Utomi.
The Integrated Logistics Services Limited otherwise known as Messrs Intel Nig. Ltd. or simply as Intels and the Brawal Shipping Limited have both deliberately and continuously refused to obey a Federal Government directive.
These multi-billion naira Terminal Operators both have what it takes to assist the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN ) to enforce the collection of the Practicioners Operating Fees (POF) that has been agreed upon by stakeholders and is presently being collected by other terminal operators, but have resolutely refused to do it for reasons best known to them.
These Internationally known Nigerian terminal operators have never been known to do anything by way of corporate social responsibility or initiating a project that is not prompted by law to the benefit of their host government. Intels and Brawal have both become rather uncontrollable, but only feel very comfortable in remitting their foreign exchange back to their countries of origin through international banks leaving the Frieght Forwarders who are the Practicioners mostly helpless.
They have at several times neglected the Registrar of the Council, Bar. Sam Nwakohu, the Director of Operations Mr Basil Opara and other management staff of the Council. This is after the series of dialogue meetings called by the CRFFN have ended rather inconclusively.
These actions or rather inactions have prompted the CRFFN management to draw the attention of the Federal Minister of the Transport (FMOT) Alhaji Muazu Sambo to try and remedy the lackadaisical and uncooperative attitude of these two terminal operators in refusing to enforcing the collection of the Practicioners Operating Fees (POF)
During a resent Port facility tour by the Minister, Barrister Nwakohu had told the Minister that every effort to get the two terminal operators to enforce the POF collection in their terminals has failed. He had added that these were the only terminal operators that have refused to enforce the collection from importers and agents.
Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo.
Sambo had in view of the situation told the Registrar to do fresh letters to both Intels and Brawal and copy his office and the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello Koko who was part of the tour.
He warned that the federal government cannot tolerate the action of the terminal operators for refusing to comply with the enforcement of the collection.
Before now, our correspondent had gathered that 16 other Terminal Operators have enforced the collection of the POF while these two are still adamant and remained rather recalcitrant.
CRFFN LOGO.
A stakeholder who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, CRFFN should as a matter of urgency move into action. Quoting him “If the matter wants to end in court so be it, these shipping companies can’t try this in their own countries, but in Nigeria, they dictate what they want and do away with what they do not want without being sanctioned”.
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