Customs Boss Seeks Unity Among Freight Forwarding Associations, Maritime Media

The Comptroller- General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, has decried the proliferation of associations in the freight forwarding industry as well as the maritime Media.

Adeniyi disclosed that discordant tunes from the freight forwarders made it difficult for policy makers to consult them on vital policies affecting their profession.

Adeniyi said this on Thursday in Lagos, during the Award and Dinner night organised by the maritime media to honour him for his exemplary leadership as the helmsman of the customs.

He enjoined the freight forwarding groups to come together and speak with one voice so that government can respect and find it easier to consult them on policies affecting their industry.

“The story of customs agents is similar to that of maritime journalists in terms of proliferation of associations.

“The policy makers want to respect them by consulting them on matters of policies about their profession but the discordant tunes coming from them make it difficult for such consultations,” he said.

The CGC, therefore, pleaded with the confraternity of the freight forwarders to come together under one umbrella for them to present unified position to government on matters affecting their industry.

He charged both Prince Olayiwola Shittu, the former National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and Alhaji Akeem Olanrewaju, the Chairman of the Customs Consultative Council (CCC) to spearhead the unification drive of the freight forwarding associations, given their vantage positions in the freight forwarding industry.

It could be recalled that there are more than five freight forwarding groups which are recognised by the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), the government regulatory agency in the freight forwarding industry. These include ANLCA, NAGAFF, Council of Managing Directors, AREFF.

Also, the freight forwarders often accused the government of not carrying them along in some of the policies affecting their profession.

Recently, the agitated customs brokers accused customs of not consulting them before the 4 per cent FOB charge was imposed on them, a protest which made customs to suspend the fee for consultation.

Meanwhile, the CGC equally admonished the maritime media to collapse the multiple associations among them which had been impeding efforts to access opportunities in the maritime industry.

He noted that their unification would enable them access welfare opportunities from stakeholders. “A unified maritime media should be thinking of how to improve their welfare as most of them have paid their dues in the industry,” he said.

He advised them on how they could explore opportunities in providing life insurance package for themselves as well as housing mortgage so they could acquire decent accommodations for themselves.

He believed that the unification task was possible as the maritime journalists had exemplified by coming together to honour him.

Six associations of maritime journalists came together to honour Adeniyi for his impactful leadership which they unanimously agreed was worth celebrating.

These groups of maritime journalists include the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN), League of Maritime Editors (LOME), Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON), Maritime Journalists Association of Nigeria (MAJAN), Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN), Online Maritime Media Association of Nigeria (OMMAN) and Congress of Nigerian Maritime Media Practitioners (CONMMEP), as well as those who do not belong to any association.