Barely two weeks after i raised the alarm about a plot to humiliate and force the acting Registrar and CEO of the Council for the Registration of Freight Forwarders in Nigeria,Mrs Chinyere Uramta out of office, the hammer finally fell on her last week. A terse press release from the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, signed by its Head , Media and PR, Mr Tahir Zakari, named Mr Igwe Kingsley Onyekachi as the substance CEO who will be in charge of the Agency for the next four years in the first instance. Expectedly, the appointment has elicited mixed reactions from Stakeholders . A Group which called itself ” Friends of the CRFFN ” described the action of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Chief Adegboyega Oyetola as a nullity explaining that it was a flagrant violation of the CRFFNF Act which gives such powers to the Board and not the Minister . A spokesman for the Group, Mr Kunle Adewale ,threatened to challenge the appointment in court. He said as critical stakeholders they would not fold their arms and watch the Minister hijack the core functions of the Board.
The appointment of Mr Igwe has also drawn the ire of members of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents. An official of the body who spoke on condition of anonymity said it was totally unacceptable to appoint a junior partner of the Freight Forwarding industry to lead the Council. Until his appointment, Mr Igwe Kingsley was the Secretary General of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, a splinter group from the parent body, ANLCA. Commenting on her sack, Mrs Uramta said she had put the incidence behind her and that having served the Council in acting capacity for about 18 months and given her unblemished record, she had thought she should have been given the choice of a first refusal. Mrs. Uramta was appointed acting Registfar of the Council on February 1, 2023 upon the retirement of Mr Sam Nwakohu in January, 2023.
Uramta was said to have had her hands full in a long drawn battle with a senior official with the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy. The Council for the Registration of Freight Forwarders Act was enacted into law in April, 2007. The Council is charged with amongst other responsibilities,to regulate and control the practice of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, promoting the highest standards of competence.