• Board Chair To President: Respond to allegations or…..
• President: The board should grow up and live like elders, or…
Three unidentified persons who claim to be ‘concerned members’ of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) have written a letter to the chairman of the board of trustees of the association, alleging fraud and other sundry offences against its national president; Prince Olayiwola Shittu.
• Board Chair To President: Respond to allegations or…..
• President: The board should grow up and live like elders, or…
Three unidentified persons who claim to be ‘concerned members’ of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) have written a letter to the chairman of the board of trustees of the association, alleging fraud and other sundry offences against its national president; Prince Olayiwola Shittu.
Precipitating fresh crisis, the trio who wrote under the name – “anlca concerned members”, had written the petition to the board chairman; Chief Henry Njoku, via e mail dated January 28, 2015.
The electronic mail, a copy of which was sent to Shipping Position Daily and which was titled: “Disturbing findings at ANLCA Headquarters” was signed by the trio of: Idris Abubakar (chairman), Obiora Okoli(Secretary) and Kayode Idowu (PRO), respectively.
In the controversial letter, they also accused the association’s national president of colluding with the national secretary to run the secretariat without carrying other executives along.
The listing the alleged sins of the president, the trio write: “We have found out that the national headquarters is now deserted by the elected national officers due to the high handedness of the national President. The national President and the general secretary only now run the affairs of the association. We also found out that there is no audited account of financial transactions at the headquarters for the past three years. It was also discovered that monies received by the headquarters, especially, the over fifty million naira from the biometric exercise and several sums received from individuals and corporate bodies in respect of acquiring a permanent national secretariat have not been accounted for by the national President. We also found out that the ANLCA constitution registered at the Corporate Affairs Commission by the national President and the general Secretary was a doctored version of the one approved by the association. Finally, we found out that the election that brought in the present national executive officers did not follow constitutional provisions. The national election, which was supposed to be conducted at an Annual General Meeting (AGM), was conducted at 6.00am, with only chapter executives voting”.
And in swift reaction to the letter, the board of trustees chairman; Chief Henry Njoku directed the association’s president to respond within two weeks.
The chairman’s letter to the president was also obtained by Shipping Position Daily.
The letter dated February 13, 2105, which was also titled: Re: Disturbing Findings at ANLCA Headquarters made reference to the earlier petition.
“The letter raised serious and fundamental issues, which demand urgent and ultimate attention. In line with the mandate of the Board, efforts should be made at all times to ensure that peace and order reigns in the Association so as to achieve the historical mandate of the Association. It is very humbly view as the Chairman of the Board that the issues raised in the letter are too weighty to be glossed over, as they are capable of eroding the dignity, confidence, trust and peaceful existence of the Association.”, the board chairman wrote.
“Consequently, I request you should within 2 weeks respond/address these matters with all the seriousness and promptness they deserve. Note that failure to do this will only be taken as acknowledgement of the truth of the issues raised”.
But in a swift reaction, the association’s national president; Prince Olayiwola Shittu cautioned the board and its chairman.
He told our correspondent that there are no such names in the register of the association and that there is a biometric identification system that has details of all its members.
Accusing the board of “descending so low”, he threatened to expose the motive behind the lies.
“They (board) should grow up and behave like elders or I will be compelled to expose how they have been holding the association down for ages”, he warned, even as he described the allegations as cheap lies and those behind it as faceless and none existing.
Also speaking on the petition, the former coordinator of the board; Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha explained that “the board as a body never received any such petition, but members are aware”.
Towing the line of argument of the association’s president, Mustapha said the petitioners are not known members of the association and that, if they genuinely exist, they should come out and route the petition through the chairman of their chapter.
“Why would anyone go by the name ‘concerned member’, it is a faceless group of people, we know ourselves in ANLCA. These names don’t exist, we have never heard of such names, as for me, I don’t know them”, he told our correspondent.
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