ANLCA Crisis: Registered BOT Petition Transportation Minister Over Alleged Misconduct of CRFFN Chairman
…As Fresh CAC Status Report Confirm Taiwo Mustapha led BOT
By DAPO OLAWUNI
The Registered Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has written a complaints letter to the Minister of Transportation, Muazu Jaji Sambo over the alleged gross misconduct of the Chairman of Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) Alhaji Tsanni Abubakar in the constitutional crisis going on in the association for the past five years.
The letter signed by the BOT Chairman, Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha and the Board Secretary, Prince Taiye Oyeniyi urged the Minister to compel the CRFFN Chairman to release the report of the resolution committee set up by the council seven months ago to resolve the crisis.
Meanwhile, a fresh report generated on Wednesday, February 22nd 2023 at about 18:37pm by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has revealed that the Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha led BOT is the only registered Board of ANLCA, saddled with assets and liabilities of the association.(See copies of CAC report below)
The BOT had accused the CRFFN Chairman of bias, having declared support for another faction of the association, led by Kayode Farinto, whom the CRFFN Chairman approved to convene a controversial Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos on 2nd of March 2023.
letter dated 20th February 2022 is titled “COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE CHAIRMAN OF CRFFN GOVERNING COUNCIL ALHAJI ABUBAKAR TSANNI ON THE ISSUE OF CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS IN THE ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAN LICENSED CUSTOMS AGENTS ANLCA.
The letter reads “The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) is the foremost association in the freight forwarding subsector in the sense that almost all the other associations were splinters from it. In that light, ANLCA has a long history of norms and operational pattern as well as strict adherence to the spirit and letters of her constitution.
“In 2014, a set of Trustees were elected in Warri, Delta State for a statutory tenure of six years and in 2018, a new set of National Executive Committee members (NECOM) were elected at Enugu for a statutory tenure of four years. A normal internal election by BOT members to change the leadership of the BOT as had been done previously was resisted by the then chairman Henry Njoku and the new NECOM supported him.
“As if that wasn’t bad enough, one of his supporters went to court and obtained a judgment which proclaimed that because the trustees were yet to be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), they could not be legally regarded as trustees of the Association.
“Thereafter, the affected persons took steps to get themselves registered at the CAC via a registration dated 16th January 2020. Further legal advice they sought explained that the tenure of Trustees started on the date their application for registration was received by the CAC. About the same time, some members of the Association went to the same court to challenge the election of the NECOM on the ground that the now declared illegal BOT conducted the election.
“They sought for an order of the court restraining the affected persons from parading themselves as national officers of ANLCA and same order was granted. While the order was still in force, the concerned persons in violation continued parading themselves and taking many actions including holding an AGM where they purportedly extended their tenure by one year and also purported to have elected another set of trustees.
“Though they used some underhand maneuvers to procure registration of their so-called trustees, the CAC promptly canceled the registration upon being alerted of the fraud. CURRENTLY, at the expiration of the tenure of the NECOM on 6th April 2022, the Registered Board of Trustees took over the running of the association as provided for in the Supreme Constitution of ANLCA and in keeping with the norms appointed an interim NECOM pending when election could be held to constitute another NECOM.
“Expectedly, the situation had created factions in ANLCA and brushes between these factions had brought the attention of the Nigeria Police Force into the matter. As recently as on the 12th of January 2023, the Police Area Commander in FESTAC (the location of our national secretariat} brought the two sides to a peaceful resolution meeting. He informed the attendees that he was carrying out the directive of the IGP through the Lagos State CP that the ANLCA crisis be resolved considering the implications to the nation’s general and maritime security. Some actionable resolutions were agreed upon by both parties before the meetings ended.
“However and most surprisingly, the expired NECOM went on to purport to convene a dubious AGM where they planned to use the gathering of their cohorts and cronies to take actions that will further exacerbate the crisis in ANLCA.
“The Registered BOT promptly stopped the proposed AGM through a publication in This Oay of 6th February 2023. In their own reaction, the Police invited the two sides and directed that all unilateral actions be suspended until they (the Police) come up with their findings concerning the authenticity of claims and documents presented to them. ‘
“Honorable Minister Sir, while we thought that good counsel had prevailed, we got another shock this time through a directive said to have been given by the CRFFN Governing Council chairman instructing the expired NECOM to convene an AGM on the 2nd of March 2023. The impression being bandied about is that the Governing Council Chairman is carrying out the Honorable Minister’s directives. We consider the Governing Council Chairman’s actions not only vexatious but manifestly insulting for the following reasons;
(i) By directing one side in a dispute to convene the AGM, the Governing Council chairman broke all known rules of impartiality in mediation and conflict resolution.
(ii) Some seven months or so ago, we were informed that the CRFFN set up a committee headed by one Alhaji Abba Yusuf to look into the ANLCA crisis. Many of us including past National Presidents were interviewed by the committee but the committee never came out with a report. We later had grapevine information that some interests within the Governing Council had been working to suppress the report which was considered unfavorable to them. t
(iii) The duo of Henry Njoku and Kayode Farinto are members of the Governing Council and are the key leaders of the opposition and decency demands that the Governing Council chairman should have excused them in any actions if he is genuinely interested in resolving the ANLCA crisis.
“We therefore request you sir, to call the Chairman of the Governing Council to order by making him rescind whatever biased directives he has given. Secondly, since the Council saw it fit to constitute a committee to look into the ANLCA crisis, the report and recommendations of that committee should be brought to your attention if it can’t be made public”
See copies of CAC documents below: