The Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON) has called on the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, to initiate a comprehensive audit of the Practitioners Operating Fees (POF) collected at Nigerian seaports.
In a letter dated July 18, APFFLON President, Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, expressed serious concerns over the transparency of the POF collection process and the long-term viability of ongoing reforms in the freight forwarding sector. The letter, addressed directly to the Minister, urged him to mandate the Managing Director of SW Global, Alhaji Nura Umar, to submit a full account of POF revenues to the Ministry and to the Registrar of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).
Ogunojemite noted that this demand for financial transparency aligns with the Minister’s recent commitments to accountability, made during the National Single Window seminar in Lagos.
While commending CRFFN’s efforts in promoting professionalism and capacity development, the APFFLON president warned that foundational reforms are being threatened by operational irregularities among registered freight forwarding associations. He cited issues such as weak compliance, poor ethical practices, ineffective leadership, and eroding public confidence as major challenges.
He therefore called for an immediate reassessment and revalidation of all registered freight forwarding associations in Nigeria. Ogunojemite proposed that this process should include auditing associations’ compliance with CRFFN regulations, evaluating internal governance structures, verifying the legitimacy of membership, and restructuring or disbanding groups found to be counterproductive to national development objectives.
“This reassessment is crucial not only for restoring professionalism but also to ensure that only credible associations continue to collaborate with the government in driving the goals of the Marine and Blue Economy sector,” the letter stated.
Ogunojemite also urged the Minister to ensure that SW Global accounts for all POF collections in line with government’s transparency agenda. He concluded by appealing to Oyetola’s leadership to safeguard ongoing reforms and preserve the administration’s legacy of transformative sectoral change.
