Joyce Mmereole Okoli
Nigeria’s freight forwarding industry is boiling with tension as the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has unleashed a blistering attack on four rival associations, accusing them of sabotage, deception, and a calculated attempt to cripple regulatory reforms under the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).
In a hard-hitting statement issued on August 4, 2025, the NAGAFF Board-in-Council blasted the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), AREFFN, NAFFAC, and NCMDLCA for aligning with a controversial court ruling obtained by NCMDLCA faction leader, Lucky Eyis Amiwero, which challenges CRFFN’s authority to regulate customs agents and collect the contentious Practitioners Operating Fee (POF).
“They are a confused gang of strange bedfellows… directionless, untrustworthy, and desperate to hijack the fruits of someone else’s legal fight,” the group fired, citing Amiwero’s own scathing remarks against the associations now riding on his legal victory.
NAGAFF warned that the May 26, 2025, court judgment now under appeal and a stay of execution has been weaponized by the splinter groups to launch a fresh wave of instability in the sector. The association accused them of plotting against the CRFFN because the Registrar, Mr. Kingsley Igwe, is a former NAGAFF member.
“Let it be clear: Kingsley Igwe’s competence is not in doubt. The real fear is that under his watch, CRFFN is working and they can’t control it,” the statement declared.
Taking the gloves off, NAGAFF called on the Hon. Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, H.E. Adegboyega Oyetola, to immediately deregister the four associations and recommend the revocation of their CAC certificates over what it describes as “threats to national revenue and economic sabotage.”
It didn’t stop there, NAGAFF hinted at a looming scandal, warning that some old members of the CRFFN Board may soon face an EFCC probe into the agency’s financial records from inception.
“They are panicking… they know their time is up,” NAGAFF alleged.
The statement also dug deep into the past, reminding stakeholders of ANLCA’s fierce opposition to the creation of CRFFN, and accusing it of attempting to derail the agency from its inception. NAGAFF recalled the 2008 CRFFN elections as marred by rigging and thuggery, alleging that ANLCA “stuffed the process with motor park boys” and hijacked the Council.
“Seventeen years later, the same characters are back with a new script—but the plot remains the same: disrupt, dominate, and divide,” the group warned.
While dismissing the rebel groups as noise-makers representing less than 20% of the industry, NAGAFF claimed that it alone accounts for over 80% of Nigeria’s freight forwarders, a statistic it says is verifiable.
“The true freight forwarders are behind CRFFN and its leadership. We pass a vote of absolute confidence in Mr. Kingsley Igwe for his transformative leadership, vision, and professionalism,” the group declared.
NAGAFF urged all freight forwarders to stay focused, professional, and compliant with their statutory obligations, while reaffirming that only corporate bodies as defined by the NCS Act 2023 are recognized as Customs Representatives, not associations parading outdated titles.
“Enough of the deceit. This is a new era of accountability, professionalism, and reform,” the statement concluded.