Anxiety As ANLCA Members Pressure Registered BOT to Constitute Fresh NECOM

…Says NAGAFF Should be Delisted by CRFFN, its not an association but a “Movement”

By DAPO OLAWUNI

Members of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) in the Western Zone have called on the registered Board of Trustees (BOT) of the association led by Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha to appoint fresh set of National Executive Committees (NECOM) following the sack of the Hon Tony Iju led executives by a competent court of jurisdiction.

The embittered members have also threatened to sweep aside its registered BOT if they fail to provide much needed leadership.

The members, apparently frustrated by the absence of proper direction in the association due to leadership tussle that engulfed its soul in 2018, came together under the aegis of Alliance of ANLCA Western Zone.

Speaking at an enlarged press conference in Lagos on Monday, Leader of ANLCA in the Western Zone, Sir John Oforbike stated that the members are constrained by the absence of proper officers owing to the Justice Aikawa’s Court Order (FHC/L/CS/921) oF 26 August 2021 restraining all elected NECOM from parading themselves as National and Zonal officers respectively.

Rather than obey the court judgement, he said said Tony Iju led NECOM still go around parading themselves, collecting money from shipping companies, terminal operators and lately dragging ANCLA in the mud through am unholy alliance with the founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Dr Boniface Aniebonam.

Recall that Dr Aniebonam had admitted at a public event in Lagos recently that he was the one that influenced Tony Iju’s decision to expel some notable leaders of ANLCA, thereby further fuelling the leadership crisis.

“On the basis of the foregoings, the alliance of A.N.L.C.A. Associates Western Zone do hereby declare that we are no longer comfortable seeing Tony Nwabunike led suspended NECOM continue to pelt mud of impunity on our hard earned reputation

“We therefore call on the legitimate Board of Trustees’ Members led by Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha to intervene by appointing or providing leaderships in the suspended positions in the National and Zonal levels, to stem the tide of despondence among members.

“Tony Iju-Nwabunike has subjected A.N.L.C.A to an extension of NAGAFF and this is not acceptable by this group. His indiscretions have eroded A.N.L.C.A’s reputation into near oblivion” Oforbike stated

Also speaking at the press conference, immediate past chairman of Tin Can Chapter of ANLCA, Prince Segun Oduntan stated that the reason why ANLCA crisis has dragged on for three years is because Tony Iju is clueless and acting on instruction of NAGAFF founder, Dr Aniebonam.

He also condemned the fact that ANLCA went to report Customs to the National Assembly whom he described as their regulator. According to him, the actions being taken by Tony Iju and his suspended executives does not represent the interest of totality of ANLCA members and should be considered non and void.

He said “There is going to be an All Progressive Grand Alliance in Maritime, people in ANLCA, NAGAFF and all other associations are suffering, it is not only ANLCA members that are suffering.

“This romance you are seeing today between the associations is fake, it is because they want to collect POF under pretence of 6.6.1.1.1 , and we would not allow it.
As a corporate member that is paying my dues to the CRFFN, they cannot decide for me.

“NAGAFF is not an association, we do not even go to them, NAGAFF is a movement that belongs to one man and using it for personal interest

“Where we as ANLCA carry out elections to determine people that would represent us, they would seat down and sack executives at will, they should be deregistered by CRFFN because they are not an association.

“Our suspended president is using ANLCA name and leading us astray.

“The essence of this meeting is to tell the maritime community that we are not in support of what is happening and we have taken our stand as far as Tony is concerned.

This is why we have told our BOT, if you know you are registered and you have your certificate, come up and take charge, if they don’t, the All Progressing Grand Alliance would come up and we would sweep all of them” Oduntan stated.