Freight Monitor

Hakeem Olanrewaju exposes plans to rig CRFFN elections

Hakeem Olanrewaju

—– as Ameachi retains appointed former board members ahead of exercise

Eyewitness reporter

There is a grand plan to rig the October 9th elections into the Governing Board of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria(CRFFN).

Otunba Hakeem Olarenwaju, the pioneer Vice -Chairman of the CRFFN who made this revelation in Lagos, claimed that the first step into the grand design has already been hatched.

According to him, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Ameachi, ahead of the October elections, has already returned the 17 members of the dissolved board to the yet to be formed fourth governing council, a move that is alien to the culture and constitution of the council.

It would be recalled that the CRFFN board is made up of 32 members which include 15 elected members from the freight forwarding industry while the remaining 17 members are appointed by the Government from the Nigeria Customs Service, Ministry of Transportation, and other civil servants and politicians.

However, Otunba Olanrewaju, who was the Chairman of the second governing board of the CRFFN, in his expose, said this strange move was part of the scheme to rig the forthcoming council elections in favour of the 15 out- gone elected members who may wish to re-contest.

He alleged that there were internal arrangements and mutual understanding that the appointed politicians, who have all been returned before the elections, should work assiduously and deploy a process that will guarantee the return of the out-gone elected freight forwarders back into the CRFFN Governing Council Board.

Olanrewaju further alleged that the Tactical Electioneering and Voting Process constituted by the immediate governing board was part of the intricate plans to rig the elections.

The freight forwarder stated that the reappointment of the 17 non-elected members ahead of the elections established a fundamental error in the making of the intended electioneering process as the immediate past Governing Council Board was not properly dissolved.

“Presently, at the expiration of the outgone Governing Council Board, while the elected freight forwarders in the board heeded to the court seeking for their tenure elongation to four years and not two years as provided by the Act 16, 2007; the appointed politicians were immediately reappointed by the Honorable Minister ahead of the freight forwarders election.

“From the last experience, this type of arrangement creates room for political manipulations and undue leverages.

“Unconfirmed reports have it that there exists an internal understanding and arrangements for the appointed politicians to work assiduously and to deploy a process that will guarantee the return of the out-gone freight forwarders represented back into the Governing Council Board of the CRFFN,”

Olanrewaju also picked holes in the electoral committee set up by the Minister which he said is also made up of members from the Tactical Electioneering and Voting Process which has been given the mandate to prepare their return to the board again.

“The freight forwarding practitioners are still very much doubtful and worried about the possibilities of the Honourable Minister of Transportation to have unknowingly played into this initial conceptualized Tactical Electioneering and Voting Process packaged by the outgone Governing Council Board.

“It is on record that the immediate past Governing Council Board set up a Tactical & Strategic Electoral Committee before their tenure elapsed, but the components of such electoral arrangements are still very much around in the present making.

“It is important to openly lodge the skepticism expressed by the generality of the freight forwarding practitioners which seek clarification to the effect that, this published election notice is not in any way a mere Tactical and Strategic Electoral Committee and System or better stated, a furtherance of the formal Governing Council Board.

“This expression is apt because we are aware that in a “first-past-the-post electoral system,” a vote is tactical when it is cast for a selected candidate not on merits, but to best influence to ensure such candidate wins in the constituency.

” Tactical voting also includes strategic incentives granted to misrepresent the electorate’s choices via a manipulated and preferred electoral system.

“Tactical and Strategic Voting System is often organized to favour an incumbent or to foster status quo,” he said.

For the elections to be credible and devoid of rigging, Olarenwaju said it is important for the minister to address all the rigging ploys.

“Based on the foregoing, the freight forwarders require confidence rekindling statement by the Honorable Minister on the issues raised above.

A clarification is apt because it will be administratively counterproductive to allow freight forwarders to obtain election forms at a whopping non-refundable cost of N500,000 and to eventually discover later that the election was a mere charade and not too different from the last elections.”

Customs

Opposition mounts against proposed hike in licensing renewal fee by Customs as agents kick

–the timing is wrong — Amiwero

–the rich will now hijack the clearing job– Musa

— the multinationals will have a field day — Mukaila

– lot of agents will be out of job-Otunba Komolafe

– the economy will collapse — Barrister Ada Akpunonu

Funso OLOJO

There seems to an overwhelming unanimity in the resistance of the Customs Licensed Clearing Agents against the proposed hike in the licensing renewal fee by the Nigeria Customs Service.

On Thursday, August 7th, 2025, the management of the NCS muted the idea of a hike in licensing renewal fee when it was sensitizing the executives of the major freight forwarding groups in Abuja.

The agency told the freight forwarders that commencing from January 1st, 2026, the current renewal fee of N215, 000( 20k for the Headquarters and N15k processing fee for the commands) would be increased as the existing fee was no longer realistic in the face of the economic realities in the country.

However, a cross – section of the practicing customs brokers who spoke to our reporter on the proposed review were unsparing in their total rejection and condemnation of the proposal.

They were unanimous in their belief that the move by the customs authority was not only ill- timed, ill- conceived but it’s capable of sending many practitioners out of the business.

The customs brokers lamented the timing of the proposed hike when, according to them, they are still grappling with the challenges of multiple payment of charges and fees atvtge port.

They pointed out the reintroduction of the 4 percent fee on FOB on imported cargo, the high exchange rate and other taxes which they said are hurting the business.

They further claimed that the proposed hike will give a leeway to the money bags and the foreign multi- nationals to hijack the freight forwarding industry.

Dr Segun Musa, the Deputy National President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) accused Customs of gradually turning the issue of licensing into cash and carry for the highest bidders.

He believed that obtaining customs license should be purely knowledge- based and not what should be procured with money.

“To me, I don’t think it’s a welcome development and I’m not subscribing to that” when asked of his reaction to the proposed hike.

“The industry should be more of knowledge-driven and not cash-driven.

I didn’t subscribe to it and definitely I won’t buy into it.

” The reality is not whether the current renewal fee is sustainable or

not sustainable. Ordinarily, we don’t suppose as practitioners, we’re not supposed to pay for license.

“We’re supposed to be registered and licensed based on knowledge.

“It should not be a commercialized thing. A customs licensing is not a commercialized venture, it is not a private venture for profit making.

“They generate revenue for government. But ordinarily, we’re supposed to be registered and licensed based on knowledge to facilitate trade.

” If we allow the financial bullion operators to hijack the industry, then they mess up the whole industry.

“It should be knowledge-driven. It should not be the highest bidder industry.

” It should be integrity platform. It should be knowledge platform, not money

back platform.

“You cannot push people that are trying to establish and advance their business out of the business. You don’t do that.

It’s not fair.

“I’m just waiting for the associations that have met with the CG to come out with there own resolutions or their own brief before we can start engaging media and telling the media our own personal opinion.

” But definitely, it will not fly.

Alhaji Abdulaziz Mukaila, the former National Secretary Generals of the Association of Nigerian Customs Licensed Agents(ANLCA, was not less critical of the licensing renewal proposal.

” Where do they want us to get the money from? Do they want us to start to tax importers? the ANLCA Chieftain asked rhetorically.

“Are they giving us any subvention?

Whereas, Customs is taking salary.

They are still taking budget allowance.

” Now they are taking 4 percent cent on FOB on cargo.

” The Customs is giving way to the fraudsters they claimed they wanted to weed out with this hike because the fraudsters will get the license at any amount because they know what they want to do with the license.

*Customs will only succeed in chasing out honest people out of the business, thus paving way to the dubious ones to take over.

“What are they trying to

achieve?

” To shut the door and bring in foreign multinationals?

“Afterall, the customs now give licenses to the Chinese, Indians and Lebanese.

“With this new hike, these foreigners will now gain full control of the industry” the former ANLCA scribe alleged.

Mr Lucky Eyis Amiwero, the factional President of National Council of Managing Directors of Customs Licensed Agents (NCMDLCA) believed that the proposed hike in licensing fee was ill- time at a time the Customs has just introduced 4 percent Free-on-Board (FOB) on imported cargo.

“I don’t think it is the right time for

them to renew, to increase license fees.

“It is the wrong time because the country is actually faced with a lot of challenges.

“The challenges are, one,exchange rates. A lot of people have lost their job. Even people cannot renew most of their licenses.

“When you look at the license renewal, it is based on the performance.

Many people might renew and after the whole thing,they don’t have any jobs to

do.

“So,I don’t think it is the right time for them because as the customs was renewing, is trying to bring

in 4% of FOB and so many charges.

“And this is going to hit the agents, hit the importers, hit the

manufacturers,hit the economy.

“When you increase, many of them cannot even move out from their homes.

The port is not a friendly place. A lot of things that are happening at the port are not coordinated.

“More than 70% of people have left the port industry.

“So,customs should have reasons and seek opinion of people before they start to increase.

“That money they are increasing is for their own .

“When the last time they reviewed the whole thing, I was in the forefront.

“The last time it was reviewed from N10,000 to N200,000” Amiwero declared.

Both Barrister Ada Akpunonu and Otunba Olasupo Komolafe of the ANLCA shared similar sentiments on the issue.

Akpunonu seemed to be carefree about the issue because, according to her, the challenges which agents are facing at the port are overwhelming and frustrating.

She lamented that while the agents were battling with the charges of terminal operators, Customs came with the payment of 4 percent Free-on-Board (FOB) levy and now the hike in licensing fee renewal.

” I don’t want to talk about this issue.

If they like, let them increase, when the economy collapses , we shall all be affected”

” Let the Customs increase, those who have money will renew and those who don’t have will be thrown out of job and the rate of unemployment will increase” Akpunonu said in a tired tone.

Otunba Komolafe described the proposed hike as an additional burden on agents who are already groaning in pains over multiple charges at the port.

” Where do they want us to get money? Do they think we pick money on the ground? ,the ANLCA Chieftain asked rhetorically.

He said some agents may not be able to even utilize their license for a whole years due to lack of job.

He claimed that the hike will throw many out of the job.

Freight Monitor

Amiwero mocks ANLCA, three other freight forwarding groups over plan not to pay POF.

— describes them as gathering of strange bedfellows

Funso OLOJO

The last is yet to be been heard of the intrigues, acrimony and bellyaching that greeted the court judgement which invalidated the payment of the controversial Practitioners Operating Fees (POF)by freight forwarders.

It could be recalled that the factional President of National Council of Managing Directors of Licenced Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Lucky Eyis Amiwero, secured a court victory against the payment of the POF by Customs brokers when on May 26th, 2025, Justice D.E Osiagor of the Federal High Court in Lagos delivered a landmark judgment in a suit No Suit No. FHC/CS/765/2018 between NCMDLCA vs. 1. MINISTER OF TRANSPORT, 2. NPA and 3. CRFFN in which he declared the collection of the controversial POF illegal.

However, on Friday, June 18th, 2025, the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents(ANLCA) led four out of the five freight forwarding groups registered with the Council for the Regulation of freight forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) to announce their resolve to enforce the judgment of the Lagos High Court by stopping the payment of POF.

The other associations which allegedly connived with ANLCA to rebel against the CRFFN included the National Association of Air Freight Forwarders and Consolidators (NAFFAC), Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN) and a factional National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA).

But Amiwero, who achieved the hard- won court victory over CRFFN, mocked the gathering of the four other associations, describing them as “strange bedfellows”.

”Just look at the gathering of these strange bedfellows, ganging up together to reap where they did not sow.

“A case of ‘my enemy, who is the enemy of my enemy, is now my friend.’

“When they slept on their rights and were busy fighting over the sharing formula of the POF, they never saw CRFFN action as illegal.

“Where were they when Lucky Amiwero single-handedly pursued the case and secured the judgment?

“Some of them even bashed Amiwero for challenging CRFFN, but now, have gathered to enjoy relief from another man’s struggle.

” Pushed by the frustration of not getting any share as CRFFN said that a Consultant fraudulently swallowed everything, they’ve now latched onto Amiwero’s court judgment, in revenge of those that outsmarted them in the Council’s politics and booties sharing” Amiwero declared in a derisive note.

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), which boycotted the meeting of the “strange bedfellows”, also dismissed the group as ” selfish and untrustworthy”

“The above ugly remarks by Mr. Lucky Eyis Amiwero concerning these individuals clearly portray them as untrustworthy and confused persons.

” They can best be described as a bunch of dribblers and directionless folks.

” We have waited to hear their reaction to these highly uncomplimentary remarks but discovered they lacked the wisdom to decode the weighty nature and the implications of Mr. Lucky’s comments, which completely smeared and eroded their credibility and made them interlopers in the industry” NAGAFF High Command declared.

NAGAFF, which reacted through its Board of Trustees (BOT)to the plan of the other registered freight forwarders over their plan to stop payment of the POF, has called in the CRFFN to deregister these rebellious groups while the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, should use legal instrument to ensure that the Corporate Affairs Commission(CAC) withdraw their Certificate of Registration.

NAGAFF claimed these punitive measures became necessary because the group has committed economic sabotage against the Federal government by denying the government it’s revenue through their refusal to pay the POF.

“The Hon. Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, H.E Adegboyega Oyetola, is being encouraged to deregister forthwith the four ailing associations and move on to recommend to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to withdraw their certificates of registration based on threats to revenue due to government of the federation”, stated NAGAFF.

The association however believed that government should allow Amiwero and his group to exit the CRFFN platform in order to give peace a chance so that the CRFFN could collect the POF unhindered.

“The authorities should allow the factional President of NCMDLCA, Mr. Lucky Eyis Amiwero’s group and their accomplices to go as they wish and allow the CRFFN to face its mandate as provided by law.

“We are convinced that the CRFFN will stabilize and be more focused if these elements are granted their request to exit.

“We suspect that this group is being sponsored by the enemies of the state who are hell-bent on sabotaging the good efforts of the government.

“One of the worst crimes anyone can commit against the state is to deny the government its statutory revenue

” The antecedents of these groups in question had already portrayed them as non-progressive minds whose activities in the ports need to be watched” NAGAFF stated.

Entertainment

Ozo Chukwurah hosts Olojede, new Oriade Council Chairman, to lavish reception over his electorial victory

Funso OLOJO

Prince Ozo Chukwurah, a frontline Customs broker and former Vice – Chairman of Board of Trustees(BOT) of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), organized a lavish reception for the newly elected Chairman of Oriade Local Council Development Area(LCDA), Honourable Azeez Olojede,to celebrate his recent local government electoral victory.

Olojede, a protege of Prince Chukwurah, came to pay homage to his mentor and financier at his palatial Hotel, Systems Place Hotels, Satellite town Lagos.

Guests at the event, which included the political entourage of the new chairman, his personal assistants, some council officials, party faithfuls and staff of the Systems Place Hotels, were treated to choice light refreshments and drinks.

Olojede said he decided to embark on the thank you visit to Prince Chukwurah for his support and huge contributions to the Satellite community.

He declared that , Prince Chukwurah, a contemporary of his father, has been a pillar of inspiration within the community where he had imparted lives of the people through his philanthropic gestures and other corporate social projects.

The new chairman used the occasion to unveil some of his plans for the LCDA

“I am a very familiar person with my environment having lived 40 out of my 48 years on earth within this Local Council Development Area” Honorable Olojede began.

“This area is housing both the riverine and upland areas and mainly divided into Satellite town and Ijegun Egba which are the heartlands of the LCDA.

“I have the desire to make life better for the indigenes and residence of the LCDA”.

“We are having meetings with the traditional rulers in order to outline the projects that we plan to execute and of course we have to bring in government interests to meet with the public interests-schools, police posts, health centre and others that will impact positively on the lives of residents of this area”.

He pledged to ensure that those who engage in agriculture within the islands in the LCDA are encouraged to help boost food security in inline with the desire of the state government.

“We have to project the objectives of the state government so that the people will be able to key into the various projects to improve their lives and the environment”. the chairman added.

Olojede also encouraged other residents of the area to emulate the generous gesture of chief Ozo Chukwura who funded the construction work on the road where they had the activity on the day.

“We want to connect the various communities on the two islands to the mainlands and all the listed government interests shall be provided towards achieving all our plans. We are speaking with the people”. he enthused.

Honourable Olojede added that aside the construction works going on, there are plans for training programmes and other educational policies aimed at enlightening the populace.

In his short remark, Prince Chukwurah pledged to fuel the heavy duty equipment that would be used for road construction in the area with the sum of 2 million naira.

The pledge drew a roar of approval from the appreciative supporters of the chairman who burst into party songs and praises of the donor.