ANLCA Disowns BOT Members Over 6-Years Extension of Tenure, Says its Joke of the Century

By DAPO OLAWUNI

The National Executive Committee (NECOM) of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has distanced itself from the purported six years tenure extension for its Board of Trustees (BOT) members, saying that the association no longer recognize them as BOT

Speaking with journalists at the ANLCA National Secretariat on Friday, its National Secretary, Mr. Babatunde Mukaila said that the tenure of the present board officially expires on 7th of February 2020 at 1200hrs and there would be no extension whatsoever.

Recall that Chairman of the BOT, Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha and four other members had at a meeting on Thursday announced that their tenure is extended by another six years based on the court ruling of a federal high court in Lagos which ruled that five of the BOT members were not officially registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) right from inception.

But while addressing the issue yesterday, Mukaila who said he was speaking on the authority of the ANLCA national president, Tony Iju, described it as a joke of the century which cannot stand.

He argued that the nine member board were elected by 600 licensed ANLCA members, and that five members of the board cannot seat in the comfort of their air conditioned room to upturn it.

“The first clarification is that by 1200hr of today, the tenure of the present board of trustee would expire. I want to also state it clearly that nobody gets into ANLCA board unless through an AGM called specifically for that purpose.

The last time such AGM was called happens to be at Warri in year 2014, this is the same AGM that returned the present board”

“However, whatever is their challenges over their inability to get themselves registered after their election, this should be an internal issue between them, this does not mean they are not our board”

“Close to 600 people who travelled by road to Warri, gave them that mandate to seat as the board of ANLCA, so nobody can seat inside an air-conditioning room and extend such tenure, it is a joke of the century and it cannot stand”

“The President will make categorical statement on Monday over the issue, he is out of town for now”

Mukaila who coincidentally was the chairman of the electoral body that delivered the BOT election in 2014 advised that anybody willing to contest for elections into the ANLCA BOT should come forward and indicate interest with the Association Electoral Committee (ASECO)

Quoting copiously from section 30 of the ANLCA supreme constitution, the National Secretary announced that as from 8th of February, ANLCA no longer has a board and the president would now use  it’s emergency powers to take critical decisions on the association.

“If anyone is interested to seat as member of our board, announcement has been made by ASECO, all the president needs to do is to make a pronouncement on the date, time and venue of the AGM that would produce the next board”

“As from tomorrow, under section 30 of ANLCA Constitution, the President would use his emergency powers which states that where any issue arises which is not covered in the constitution, the BOT and NECOM can take decisions, but now the BOT is not there and the president would be taking some landmark decisions”

He also quoted section 14 which talks about general administration of the association.

Speaking on the purported court judgement that mandated the BOT to get its members registration regularised and stop parading themselves as BOT, Mukaila said Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha had appealed against the court judgment, and that he later came up to say that he is withdrawing that appeal.

“It is going to be a joke of the century if a mandate given to them by over 600 people at an AGM and it is being upturned by five people, it is not going to stand”

“We did not stop them from holding the meeting because they are our board members, the secretary of the board prior to the meeting wrote a letter demanding that ANLCA President be present at the meeting but there was no agenda”

‘They only formulated an agenda after the president exited their meeting, they decided to come up with an election”

“By Monday, all their pictures would be taken away from the Secretariat.

In ANLCA’s Quote of Allegiance Section 31, nobody takes office unless they are formally sworn in by the president. They have opportunity of recontesting if they so wish”

By ANLCA constitution, Henry Njoku, Taiye Oyeniyi, Peter Obi and Aare Sanni Shittu cannot come back for another six years as BOT members, however, five of them including Taiwo Mustapha, Dennis Okafor, Dayo Azeez, Earnest Elochukwu and Tony Iju who is now the National President, still have rights to recontested for another tenure of six years.

Mukaila assured that the “Moving Forward Committee” set up by the ANLCA President to unify all aggrieved parties in the protracted crisis that has bedeviled the association over one year, would now submit their report on Monday.

However, the position of the NECOM on the BOT members is already steering trouble within the association.

According to a reliable source, by virtue of the court ruling that states that Taiwo Mustapha and five others should go and regularise their registration with CAC because no action has been taken on ANLCA file since 2001, it means that all actions taken by that board is non and void, including the election of the present executive.

He said “If they should fail to iron out this matter in-house, and they allow it get back to the court, the BOT would take over the association, that is the legal interpretation”

Already, a factional chairman of the BOT, Chief Henry Nkoju has reportedly sent his farewell message to all members of ANLCA, indicting that he was no longer a Board member. He thanked the association for giving him opportunity to serve them for twelve years.