By Ajibola Adedoye
The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has called on the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) to consider the deregistration of Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN), National Association of Freight Forwarders And Consolidators (NAFFAC), and National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) for national interest.
Chief Tochukwu Ezisi, NAGAFF’s National President made the call while addressing maritime journalists at the National Headquarters in Lagos on Monday, 4th August, 2025 said ANLCA, AREFFN, NAFFAC and NCMDLCA have often failed in their statutory financial obligations to CRFFN.
Ezisi said the move is necessary after carefully observing with enduring patience how events unfolded since the appointment of the current CRFFN Registrar, Mr. Kingsley Igwe for choosing professionalism over partisanship.
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According to the NAGAFF’s National President: “These groups have publicly aligned with a court judgment obtained by Mr. Lucky Amiwero of NCMDLCA in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/765/2018, claiming the CRFFN lacks authority to regulate customs agents and collect the Practitioner Operating Fee (POF). Yet, the CRFFN has appealed and filed a stay of execution, rendering the ruling unenforceable.
“lronically, Mr. Amiwero has condemned the same associations now exploiting his court victory, exposing their opportunism. This only reinforces our concern about their credibility and motivations.
“Let it be known that ANLCA has long resisted CRFFN’s establishment, going as far as proposing a counter-bill in the National Assembly. Similarly, past CRFFN elections were marred by irregularities challenged in court by some of these same actors, patterns of undermining the Council when outcomes don’t favor them.
“The real issue appears to be the appointment of Mr. Kingsley Igwe as Registrar, a former NAGAFF Secretary. His emergence triggered a litigation, not for legal rectitude but as a political vendetta” Igwe submitted.
Mr. Igwe while calling on those who no longer believe in CRFFN’s mandate should exit the stage also opined that NAGAFF suspects a broader agenda to sabotage government reforms in the marine and blue economy sectors.
“Government should investigate the economic and regulatory sabotage being carried out under the guise of activism” he stated.
Ezisi affirmed that “Despite these distractions, NAGAFF remains proud of the performance of the current Registrar, Mr. Kingsley Igwe who have shown exceptional leadership within a year of assumption of office”.
Some of the achievements listed by Igwe includes “Expanding CRFFN’s funding beyond POF to improve financial sustainability, training of 1,000 freight forwarders in 2025, an unprecedented capacity-building initiative which has seen a successful training of 300 freight forwarders already, driving digital modernization and stakeholder collaboration to strengthen CRFFN’s regulatory role among others.
“We hereby pass a vote of absolute confidence on the leadership of the CRFFN Registrar/CEO under the supervision of the Hon. Minister of Marine and Blue
Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola,
“NAGAFF will remain committed to the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and to a freight forwarding profession anchored in professionalism, transparency, and national service” Ezisi submitted.
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