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The Council for the Registration of Freight Forwarders in Nigeria (CRFFN) Tuesday organized a workshop in Port Harcourt to sensitize freight forwarders on the payment of practitioners’ operational fees through the regulator’s online portal.
CRFFN’s director, Regulations and Enforcement, Basil Opara, told newsmen on the sidelines, that the workshop, with the theme: ‘Sensitization and Demonstration of CRFFN Portal Registration, Annual Subscription and Processing of Practitioners’ Operating Fee (POF) Payment,’ was to raise freight forwarders’ awareness on the regulatory body’s online platform and how they can pay their fees online with ease.
“We are here to sensitize our colleagues in the freight forwarding industry on how they can pay their bills through our online platform. In January, we had the same sensitization on the methodology of paying the practitioners’ operating fee digitally.”
He noted the importance of raising the country’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) through the payment of freight forwarders POF, adding that 35 percent of the fee paid goes back to the freight operators, 25 percent of the fee goes to the government account, while 40 percent goes to CRFFN.
Chairman of Area 1 Seaport chapter of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Ngozi Uzohuo, said it is commendable that CRFFN, as the industry regulator, has embarked on sensitizing practitioners on new developments in the sector.
He however noted that though “online payment and registration is very good, what we are saying is that let there be accountability and transparency, as well as an open-door for practitioners to be able to access the system and ask questions where necessary. Also there should be feedback to government on issues raised by practitioners.”
Earlier, Mr Sunji Audu, zonal coordinator of the Special Control Unit Money Laundry (SCUML) at the Economic and Financial Crime Commission in Port Harcourt said that the commission monitors, supervises and regulates activities of designated non-financial institutions, which include clearing and forwarding operations.
He urged operators to obtain evidence of registration, ensure that they comply with all the laws as relates to money Laundry as well as the Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment of Non-Financial Institutions Regulations 2013.
Audu further advised them to keep records of all transactions and ensure they carry out proper customer identification to avoid EFCC sanctions.
Similarly, deputy commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, representing the commissioner of Police, Eastern Ports, Tamunoemi Peterside, said that the payment of the operational fee online would ease their job in ensuring security of lives and property at the ports.
Agbonika stated that the online payment would help the investigation of crime, especially for tracing and tracking of payments, and thus frustrating forged documents.
