The Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) is set to fully commence its statutory roles of sanitising and inducing professionalism into freight forwarding practice in Nigeria.

The Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of the Council, Sir Mike Jukwe, said that series of programmes and meetings have been outlined to take place from the first quarter and to last all through the New Year

Jukwe said that the leadership of CRFFN plans to hold meetings with a select group of concerned stakeholders and top management of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) later this month in Lagos while it will also meet with Executive Committee members of all the existing freight forwarding associations also in Lagos immediately after the meeting with concerned stakeholders and NSC officials
Jukwe further disclosed that the Council will thereafter meet with Chief Executives and Chief Operating Officers of all freight forwarding companies in Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt

“All these meetings are crucial to our effective take-off as a Council and we want to ensure that all concerned practitioners are carried along in all our activities and that is why we are going to expend a lot of energy and resources in meeting and deliberating with them so that they can all buy into the vision of the Council”, Jukwe stated

The CRFFN boss also disclosed that the registration of freight forwarders will be preceeded by a pre-registration course which will be held for all practitioners in all the three zones of the Council in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano between February and March while an induction course for those who are registered will come up in April, 2010.

“We also plan to hold what we have termed the Annual National Freight Forwarders Conference sometimes in August but before then we would have held our Annual Council meeting and series of workshops for all our registered members”, he added.

Sir Jukwe also called for unity and close working relationship between the Council and all Stakeholders, saying that “my doors are wide open; Freight Forwarders Compliant Unit has been established in my office and contactcrffn@yahoo.com is the dedicated e-mail address for suggestions and compliants. A Freight Forwarders Consultative Committee will also be established soon. Lets close rank, so that, together we can take our profession of freight forwarding to enviable height”.

CRFFN was established by Number 16 of 2007 to professionalise and sanitize the freight forwarding profession in Nigeria. The Act also empowers the Council to streamline the activities of freight forwarding associations, set standards and register practitioners.