By Ifeyinwa Obi

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, NAGAFF, has called on all political parties to present their programmes on how they plan to address various issues affecting the ports industry, when elected.

Chairman of the Board of Trustees of NAGAFF, Mazi Chidiebere Enelamahaga, said the association wants the parties to reach out for discussion with the importers and freight forwarders in the industry.

Enelamahaga pointed out that some of the problems faced by agents and importers at the ports were man-made and stressed that the parties should be able to offer solution to them.

According to Enelamahaga, “we want to remind members that politics is about the interests of the greater majority and good governance.

“For example, our experiences in excessive port charges and illegal arrests of containers along the city roads by Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, leaves much to be desired as far as benefits of democracy to Nigerians, especially freight forwarders, are concerned.

“Others shall include undue interference over the realization of the objectives of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, CRFFN, by the Transport Ministry and undue stoppage of containers by government agents at the various shipping companies.

“The issue of extortion of members by the agents of the government is the greatest problem in our profession.”