ANLCA Refutes False Report on Lagos Airport Secretariat Shutdown, Says its not At Any Revenue Loss to Government

By DAPO OLAWUNI

The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has refuted a report in the media, where some persons have claimed that the Lagos Airport Secretariat shutdown was causing them N500billion losses.
The Association has however corrected that the Secretariat was shutdown by the National Executive Committee (NECOM) of ANLCA, in collaboration with Federal Airport Authority (FAAN) and the Security agencies.

Speaking with DAILY TREND on Thursday, a prominent leader of ANLCA at Lagos Airport chapter, Mr Tope Akindele corrected that, government revenue flowing from the airport is increasing daily, and that there is no way the shutdown of ANLCA Secretariat could cause the Federal government any revenue losses.

“The shutdown of the secretariat does not disturb the revenue of Nigerian Federal government as erroneously reported in the newspapers, the revenue of the government at the airport is increasing daily, they are not losing any revenue.

“The revenue is not being generated through associations but generated through individuals as companies, if anyone wants to confirm this, let them get in touch with the Customs Area Controller, you will discover that the revenue has even gone up more than before, the facts are there” Akindele stated

According to him, the ANLCA secretariat was shutdown by the National Executive Committee (NECOM) due to the lingering leadership crisis at the chapter.

“When there is trouble in an area, the NECOM and the Board of Trustees (BOT) who do not want any breakdown of law and order, approached the security agencies so that people would not take laws into their hands.

“Hence in agreement with the NECOM , the security agency said the best thing is for the secretariat to be shutdown for the benefit of everyone, so that people would not take laws into their hands.

“So, it is not the security agencies that shutdown our secretariat, but the NECOM in order for peace to reign in the association. The idea of trying to make nonsense of the situation is not ideal.

“FAAN being the landlord of the airports is in agreement with whatever the security agencies are working on because the entire area belong to them, even the place given to us as ANLCA is a temporary structure, and FAAN cannot open their eyes and watch people destroy the terminal for them.

“So, they are in agreement with the NECOM, and the security agencies for the secretariat to be shutdown for the time being and later it would be reopened.

“By shutting the secretariat, they are not doing us bad, they are actually helping us, because the moment any crisis erupts at that chapter, it would cause a lot of repercussions for everyone” Akindele stated

When asked about efforts by the Association to restore peace and harmony at the chapter, Akindele said leaders of ANLCA are already holding roundtable resolution meetings and that the secretariat would be reopened very soon.

“I can assure you that the matter is almost resolved, right now, there is no existing court cases at any court between anyone. The matter is almost sorted out by NECOM in a roundtable for peace to reign.

“The NECOM has asked us to put aside every court cases in order to maintain peace in the association. The resolution is now on peace and everybody have keyed into it” he said.