CRFFN searches for a New Registrar and rejects Nwakohu's Tenure Extension Petition

By Kathy Kyari

The Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) may be shopping for a new Registrar of the Council after the current Registrar, Sam Nwakohu failed to appeal the council members for extension of his tenure.

Nwakohu tenure ends in February 2023.

According to our source, Sam Nwakohu who is the current Registrar/CEO of the Council has applied to the Council members for consideration of his tenure extension in December 2022, but in accordance with the Civil Service rules, such application should have come four Months before the expiration of his tenure.

The Council members however turn down his request after a crucial meeting on Thursday in Abuja and mandated him to handover to the most senior officer of the Council. He was however asked to reapply. That means he will be reapplying for the position with other applicants, as there is no automatic ticket for him .

A source from the Council said Nwakohu is not in the good books of council members. Among other things that stands against him according to our source are, alleged misappropriation of funds which the Council set up a Committee and found him not able to account for the funds spent, awards of contracts above his approved threshold, arrogance and treating council members with disdain.

The source said although, the CRFFN Act gives power to Council members to appoint their Registrar, but overtime, the Minister of Transportation has always imposed a registrar on the Council, but this time around it seems unlikely that will be so.

We also gathered that, the registrar will be attaining 66 years of age, against the 60 years mandatory retirement age in the Civil Service. The position of the registrar is accorded a Civil Service statue.

It is on record that the CRFFN since its creation in 2007 which supposed to be a private Organisation was converted to a Federal government agency under the Federal Ministry of Transportation. And it has turned out to be the worst government agency riddled with legal tussles, non performance, alleged misappropriation of funds, lacks capacity to function as an agency of government and infighting, bickering among members.