The Council For the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria(CRFFN) has urged the freight forwarding operators in Rivers State to pay their operational fees through their online portal.
The Director Regulation of Enforcement for CRFFN, Mr Basil Opara gave the advice during a sensitisation programme organised by CRFFN on Simplified Practitioners’Operating Fee(POF) Payment Process in Port Harcourt.
Opara stated that the programme with the theme, “Sensitization and Demonstration of CRFFN Portal Registration, Annual Subscription and Processing of Practitioners’ Operating Fee (POF) Payment,” was to enable the operators pay their fees online with ease.
He noted the importance of the payment as an Internally Generated Revenue(IGR) to the Federal Government, stating that 35% of the fee paid goes back to the freight operators, 25% of the fee goes to the government account, while 40% goes to the CRFFN.
Similarly, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, (DCP)Monday Agbonika, in charge of Warri, Calabar and Onne Eastern Ports said that the payment of the operation fee online would ease their job in security and peace keeping of the ports.
Represented by Agbonika, the Commissioner of Police,(CP)Tamunoemi Peterside said that the online payment would help in the investigation of crime, especially in the tracing and tracking of payment without forgery of documents.
He urged freight forwarding operators to seek legal means on any issue that has to do with their payment.
In his remarks Sunji Audu, the Zonal Coordinator Special Control Unit Money Laundry(SCUML) in Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Port Harcourt said that the Commission monitors, supervises and regulates activities of designated non-financial institutions which include Clearing and Forwarding.
Audu urged operators to obtain evidence of registration, ensure that they comply with all the laws as it is in Money Laundry Act, as well as the Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment of Non-financial Institution regulations 2013.
He advised them to keep records of all transactions and ensure they carry out proper Customs identification when they are doing business to avoid EFCC sanctions when they come for inspection.