By Anthony Areh
The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has integrated Practitioners Operating Fee (POF) with eight terminal operators in the Western Ports.
Mr Sam Nwakohu, Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of CRFFN, made the disclosure at a news conference on Wednesday in Lagos.
Nwakohu said that the integration would enhance enforcement of POF’s collection.
POF is a legal practising fee meant for freight forwarders and customs brokers.
He said that anybody or organisation that failed to pay POF contravened the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and would be sanctioned.
Nwakohu noted that POF was a major source of internally generated revenue for the government.
He added that POF would help to develop and drive reforms in the industry.
“We have entered the enforcement and compliance phase of our operations and there will be no hiding place for illegal practitioners.
“We will be publishing the list of defaulters from time to time with appropriate follow-up actions,” he said.
Nwakohu urged the public to deal with only registered freight forwarders.
He disclosed that registered individual freight forwarders and corporate freight forwarders names would be uploaded on the council’s website for the public to know who they were dealing with.
Nwakohu said that they were 63 registered individual freight forwarders and 211 registered corporate freight forwarders.
He, however, commended the association of shippers and freight forwarders who operated under difficult conditions to keep the country moving.
Nwakohu assured freight forwarders that the CRFFN would provide an enabling environment for the industry. He called on freight forwarders to boost the industry’s supply chain capacity in order to grow the economy.
