Former NAGAFF boss predicts brighter prospects for freight forwarders soon

By Ray Ugochukwu

Freight forwarding practitioners in the country can now heave a sigh of relief as the major problems besetting the sector would soon be things of the past.

Giving this assurance is the former National President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Chief Eugene Nweke as stated in his April 9, 2023 Easter message to freight forwarders in the country.

Nweke

Nweke hinged his optimism for a better freight forwarding practice in the coming months on the reconciliatory efforts being made to reunite the factionalized practitioners for the growth of the sector.

In the message he titled, “Freight Forwarding Practices in Nigeria – Professionalism Beckons”, he assured that soon the limitations and stagnation bedeviling the sector would be over.

“I join Christians all over the world to celebrate the memorable and still active power of resurrection from death by our Lord Jesus Christ over two thousand years ago.

“The spiritual justification of this celebration implies that with faith every ugly situation in the life of a man has the tendency to come back to life, to those who believe.

“In the light of this, I am persuaded to believe that, in the coming months, the freight forwarding profession is set to overcome every professional limitation and stagnation that has been its undoing. I say this against the ongoing concerted efforts at ushering peace amongst captains of the sector and the resolve of the various leaderships to work together for the common good of the profession and professionals”, he stated.

Tsanni Abubakar, Chairman of CRFFN

Nweke likened the sector to a factory with many machines working in different directions, producing a cacaphony of sounds and performing at varying speeds.

In his words, “I had and will continue to liken the Freight forwarding sector to a factory building, because in a factory building, there are wheels and gearing; there are cranks and pulleys, beltings tight or slack – some are whirling swiftly, some are turning slowly; some are thrusting forward, some are pulling back; some are smooth and silent, some are rough and noisy; pounding, rattling, clanking, moving with a jerk.

“However, the only difference there is that, though different activities revolve in the respective scopes of the freight forwarding profession, each has its peculiar standard operational practices driven by professional expertise and all revolve and thrive on value-adding and supply chain. Any noticeable weaklink within the supply chain leads to thrusting forward and pulling back, rough and noisy, pounding, rattling, clanking, etc”, he stated.

Nweke maintained that “It has become more worrisome, where professional regulation suffers from prompt financial administrative empowerment, then wild confusion or a seeming chaos, high handedness and abuses take a centre stage. It’s urprising that in spite of the noticeable differences amongst practitioners and herculean professional challenges, freight forwarders still thrive and strive, doing their work and moving the nation forward at all costs”.

An aerial view of Tin Can Island Port, Apapa

He continued, “Let me on this noted plead with the bigger industry actors or stakeholders to appreciate the enormous tasks undertaken by the forwarders for the betterment of the nation; hence the needed encouragement in the propagation of the lofty roles of the practitioners in the port value-adding and international trade and security supply chain.

“To all the freight forwarders in Nigeria, note that all things are gradually moving together for the purpose of attaining professional greatness as practitioners resolve to embrace total professionalism and pose to work in unison. In this wise, accredited associations’ leaderships shall lead from the front and yet working coherently with the regulator; joining forces to direct evenly and hand-joined to guide the professionals in all scopes”.

The Anambra State born business man concluded, “Finally, though the past years might have been hurtful with notable professional hindrances and setbacks, but I can say, in the spirit of the essence of Easter celebration, that lines are beginning to fall in professional spaces, as industry peace and harmony shall prompt professional well-being”.