Indemnity for ANLCA Members: Ex-customs Officer, BoT Hopeful, Demola Mumuney Advocates Professionalism, Trust Between Agents, Customs

By DAPO OLAWUNI

As the Board of Trustees (BoT) elections for the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) draw near, Demola Mumuney, a prominent candidate and retired Customs officer, has emphasized the need for a robust indemnity framework to protect members of the association.

Mumuney, who also serves as Chairman of Stoirin Maritime Services Limited and is the immediate past Chairman of Ikoyi Club38, shared his views during a recent interview.

Addressing one of the longstanding challenges in the custioms brokerage profession, Mumuney stressed the importance of indemnity for customs agents.

He highlighted that in situations where contraband or illegal items are discovered during clearance, agents often face repercussions despite their lack of direct involvement.

“If anything goes wrong during clearance at the ports, like finding drugs, the first person customs will deal with is the agent, as they are the intermediary,” Mumuney explained.

He underscored the need for a balanced approach where Customs hold the actual offenders accountable rather than punishing agents who are often caught in the crossfire.

As a member of the BOT9 Likeminds Group, Mumuney assured that this is one of the challenges which the board will look into, in order to bring about trust for ANLCA members with the customs.

“Once customs have the importer, they shouldn’t keep holding the agent,” he noted. To achieve this, Mumuney proposed rebuilding trust between Customs and agents, stressing that professionalism within the industry is crucial.

“Trust is very vital, and we need to clean up the profession. We must teach each other how to do the right thing so nobody comes after anyone. We’ll have a good conversation with customs, no doubt about that” he assured.

Mumuney also spoke on the need for ANLCA members to vote in the forthcoming BOT elections based on the merits of candidates rather than personal affiliations.

“It’s not just about voting for someone because you know him. It’s about what you feel he will do,” he urged. He expressed confidence in the campaign strategy of his group, known as the BOT9, who are working together to secure votes across all regions. “I think we’re very much on track, and I know we have a lot of support because of what we said we’re going to do, or what we intend to do,” he said.

As the election approaches, Mumuney’s message to ANLCA members is clear: prioritize the profession’s future by choosing leaders committed to making meaningful changes, particularly in areas like indemnity and professional standards.

His vision is to create a supportive environment that enables the association’s leadership, the National Executive Committee (NECOM), to operate effectively and avoid past issues.

With the BoT elections scheduled for September 12th, all eyes are on candidates like Mumuney, who advocate for the protection and professionalization of the customs agency industry.