CRFFN crisis: Amid sabotage allegations, NAGAFF Calls for deregistration of 4 associations

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has expressed absolute confidence in the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) and its Registrar, Mr. Kingsley Igwe, amid allegations of sabotage by four associations.

NAGAFF’s National President, High Chief Tochukwu Ezisi, who made the accusation  said the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and others are exploiting a court judgment to undermine CRFFN’s authority to disrupt government reforms in the marine and blue economy sector.

NAGAFF has in its entirety distanced itself from the judgement recently obtained by the Mr Lucky Amiwero’s National Council of Managing Directors of Licenced Customs Agents(NCMDLCA) in suit no. FHC/L/CS/765/2018, against CRFFN, which has got the solidarity of these associations as: ANLCA, AREFF and NAFFAC

A Federal High Court in Lagos had ruled that the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) lacks the authority to regulate Licensed Customs Agents (LCAs) and collect the Practitioner Operating Fee (POF). The judgment, delivered on May 26, 2025, by Justice D.E. Osiagor,

The court held that the CRFFN Act of 2007 was established to regulate freight forwarders and cannot be applied to customs agents without breaching statutory and constitutional safeguards.

The NAGAFF’s National President, Ezisi, has noted that the associations’ actions demonstrate opportunism, cited Mr. Lucky Amiwero’s condemnation of their action as such for exploiting his court victory, which obtained a ruling that the CRFFN cannot collect POF from customs agents. The CRFFN has since appealed the judgment and filed a stay of execution.

Ezisi said, “Let it be known that ANLCA has long resisted CRFFN’s establishment, going as far as proposing a counter bill in the National Assembly.”
According to him, the real issue appears to be the appointment of Mr. Kingsley Igwe as Registrar, a former NAGAFF Secretary.
“His emergence triggered a litigation, not for legal rectitude but as a political vendetta,” Ezisi said.
He stated that those who no longer believe in the CRFFN mandate can exit the stage, even as he alleged that NAGAFF suspects the broader agenda of those attacking CRFFN is to sabotage the government reforms in the Marine and Blue Economy sector.
To this end, he called on the government to investigate the economic and regulatory sabotage being carried out under the guise of activism, saying ANLCA and NCMDLCA must align their identities with the new Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Act 2023.
Ezisi also recommended that CRFFN should consider deregistering those four associations and request the withdrawal of their CAC Certificates in overall national interest.
Meanwhile, the NAGAFF President has said that despite the distractions, NAGAFF remains proud of the performance of the current Registrar, Mr Kingsley Igwe because of his landmark performance in the training of 1,000 of freight forwarders in 2025, an unprecedented capacity-building initiative which has seen a successful training of 300 freight forwarders already. This is as it is on record that the Registrar is driving digital modernisation and stakeholder collaboration to strengthen CRFFN’s regulatory role.
It is against this backdrop that “we hereby pass a vote of absolute confidence on the leadership of CRFFN Registrar/CEO under the supervision of the Hon
Minster of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, CON.
“NAGAFF will remain committed to the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, and to a freight forwarding profession anchored in professionalism, transparency, and national service,” Ezisi said.