By Sandra Chukwunyere
The National Association of Freight Forwarding Associations (NAGAFF) has called for the deregistration of four rival freight forwarding associations, accusing them of sabotaging the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) and undermining the federal government’s reforms in the maritime sector.
NAGAFF National President, Chief Tochukwu Ezisi, disclosed this in a press briefing on Monday in Lagos.
He said that four associations, Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), National Association of Freight Forwarders And Consolidators (NAFFAC), Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN), and National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) are using a court judgment to undermine the CRFFN despite being aware that the Council has appealed the ruling and filed a stay of execution.
Chief Ezisi accused the associations of opportunism, hypocrisy, and political vendetta, adding that their actions are driven by resentment over the appointment of Mr. Kingsley Igwe, a former Secretary of NAGAFF, as Registrar of CRFFN.
He urged the federal government to investigate what he described as economic and regulatory sabotage being masked as activism by the dissenting associations.
“It is ironic and shameful that Mr. Amiwero himself, who secured the judgment, has disassociated from the manner in which these associations are now exploiting it,” Ezisi declared. “This alone exposes their opportunism, lack of consistency, and political desperation.”
NAGAFF also accused ANLCA of having a long history of hostility towards the CRFFN, including efforts to push a counter-bill in the National Assembly aimed at rendering the Council ineffective. Ezisi noted that several past CRFFN elections were challenged in court by these same actors, a pattern which he described as “a consistent rebellion against regulatory order.”
The NAGAFF President emphasized that the latest crisis has nothing to do with the rule of law or professional integrity, but rather is being driven by resentment over the appointment of Mr. Igwe as Registrar of CRFFN. “His emergence is not the legal problem they claim; it is their political headache,” he stated. “They have failed to stop him professionally, so now they have turned to litigation as a weapon of vendetta.”
NAGAFF called on the CRFFN to consider deregistering the four associations and to formally request the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to withdraw their certificates of incorporation. According to the association, this drastic measure is necessary to safeguard national interest and restore order within the freight forwarding sector.
Chief Ezisi also raised concerns about outdated operational structures, stressing that both ANLCA and NCMDLCA must urgently reform themselves to comply with the provisions of the new Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Act 2023.
“You cannot continue to benefit from a regulatory system that you constantly undermine and attempt to destroy,” he asserted.
Despite the turbulence, Ezisi offered glowing praise for the current leadership of CRFFN under Mr. Igwe, describing his performance as exceptional in under a year. He noted that Igwe had significantly diversified the Council’s funding sources beyond the Practitioner Operating Fee (POF), launched the training of 1,000 freight forwarders in 2025 with 300 already successfully trained, and introduced vital digital reforms.
The NAGAFF President concluded by urging the federal government to take decisive action against the dissenting associations, saying,
“We pass a vote of absolute confidence in Mr. Igwe’s leadership and applaud the support of the Hon. Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, CON. This administration is restoring professionalism and national service to freight forwarding in Nigeria.”
