Intrigues As ANLCA B-9 Likeminds Emerge Victorius At Polls, Sweeps All Nine Seats on Association Board

By DAPO OLAWUNI

After weeks of hard work and rigorous campaign across the three zones of the association, the B-9 Likeminds on Thursday have emerged victorious in the Board of Trustees (BOT) elelctions of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA)

The election which was keenly contested, held across the three zones; East, North and West simultaneously on Thursday 12th September 2024. However, the Western Zone election, which was the major decider, took place at the Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos.

After several hours of drama and intrigues at the Annual General Meeting, followed by the voting and rigorous vote counting session, the B-9 Likeminds swept all nine positions on the BOT.

The results is as follows;
Taiwo Mustapha–334
Ernest elochukwu–323
Kingsley Offor–310
Dennis Okafor–302
Sunday Momoh–294
Dayo azeez–291
Sanni utai–275
Tunde awonuga–270
Ademola Mumuney–239

Meanwhile, three candidates lost out, they included;

Ozor chukwura–217
Kayode farinto–204
Eniola igbarola–136

DAILY TREND reports that 370 voters were accredited for the elections, while total vote cast was 325.
The counting of the votes stretching into the midnight of Friday eventually saw the B-9 Likeminds coming out victorious.

At the early hours of Thursday, there was palpable tension at the election venue as members got to know that one of the strong contenders, Alhaji Babatunde Mukaila was disqualified from the election by the Association Electoral Committee (ASECO)

This created tension as Mukaila was reported to have brought Police officers to stop the election process. However, ANLCA members remained resolute in setting the association back on the right track through the election as the Vice President, Prince Segun Oduntan, the association Patron, Prince Taiye Oyeniyi and others stood the gap and quelled the brewing crisis at the police.

Alhaji Mukaila, who was immediate National Secretary of ANLCA and Sole Administrator later accepted the decision of the Association Electoral Committee (ASECO) in good faith, even as he told our correspondent that sustaining the peace in ANLCA is much important than his BOT ambition.

“I have every rights to stop this election from holding because I have been disenfranchised. However, I cannot because of my ambition and destroy the peace that i have helped build in ANLCA for the past several months. I have told my supporters to go ahead and cast their votes” Mukaila displayed a good sportsmanship spirit.

Continuing, he said “Election is like a game of sports, its either you win or you lose, it is not a do or die affair, my National President has appealed to me and I have decided to let things slide, this is not time to start going to court and dragging the association backwards ”

Speaking earlier at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) National President of ANLCA, Emenike Nwokeoji urged members to vote competent personalities who can deliver into the ANLCA Board and not just personalities who only wish to be in the board for their selfish reasons.

Nwokoeji, who enumerated how peace eluded the association in the past over leadership crisis, said “The event of today is meant to once again inform the general public, and particularly stakeholders, that ANLCA is fully back in the comity of Associations in the Maritime industry, to take its rightful position as the numero uno Customs Brokerage/Freight Forwarding Association in Nigeria especially and, internationally in general.

“In truth, I have been National Vice President for two tenures before (2010 – 2018). I had contested and lost elections in 2018 to be the National President. But, in truth, I never hesitated in congratulating the declared winner.

“Importantly, 5 years, after our misunderstanding in ANLCA, it is time to come together to chart a new course of relevance for our Association, for the benefit of our long-suffering members, for our Nation Nigerian, and humanity’s sake.

“It is in the light of this that I, and other members of my executive, seek the support of you – our mutual and common stakeholders, in the pursuit of a mutually beneficial collaboration and partnership, in this arduous, but not impossible, task of leading ANLCA back to National and International reckoning.

“We hereafter reach out to all the stakeholders to synergize on issues bordering on the advancement of the Maritime and Aviation industry, and infact on National Policy issues as they affect our subsector, in order to present a formidable, common front.

“To ANLCA members, I must thank all of you for your resilience, perseverance, understanding, and patience, during the crisis, so much so that you never fell for the cajoling of other Associations to join them, by departing ANLCA for theirs.

“To the Women in ANLCA (the ANLCA angels), you deserve my special accolade at the appropriate time. Your steadfast love, commitment, dedication, and sacrifice will not go unrewarded by the grace of the God we serve. The entire NECOM is eternally grateful and proud of you.

“The NECOM election at Federal Palace Hotel was lost by both contending parties but, won by all ANLCA members. 

“Building on our Restoration mantra, we have done so much within so short a period in stabilizing the ship of our great Association. Peace and unity are more paramount than ever before.

“After years of doldrums, we should avoid divisions and work in harmony to collectively protect our common heritage before others, particularly foreigners will shove us behind. Once again let’s close ranks with sister Associations and collectively rescue our profession from outsiders masquerading as Clearing Agents or Customs Brokers before it’s too late.” he said

Meanwhile, ANLCA members have expressed satisfaction at the outcome of the BOT elections and the emergence of the B-9 Likeminds.

Speaking with DAILY TREND, Chief Emeka Chukwumalu from Apapa chapter said that the election is a testament that ANLCA has regained its rightful position as the only voice in Nigerian freight forwarding industry.

According to him, many industry watchers and smaller associations were watching and expecting ANLCA to implode, but that after 5-years of leadership crisis, the association has returned rather stronger.

While appealing to members, he said “In every rules, there must be exemptions, and all we are doing here is for the interest of ANLCA, that is why even when we see some things that does not suit us, we try to manage it because ANLCA is one big and united family

“So, whatever happens in the caucus of ANLCA, we manage it because of the interest of our profession. We dont have any other job, this is like our farm, and if we don’t manage the farm very well, wild beats and other animals would come and devour the content of the farm, this is why we are managing it”

Speaking on the Electoral process adopted by the umpire ASECO which had some ANLCA members complaining, Chuwumalu said “We cannot have a perfect arrangement, because there is no perfect human being, but the most important thing is that we would continue to work and improve on the arrangement we have on ground.
The outcome of the election today, we would manage ourselves because we are one big family” he said

The election was monitored by Customs officials, including a representative of the Comptroller General of Customs, Nigerian Police Force, the media and some royal fathers.