· Criticisms Trail Henry Njoku Over Refusal to Step Down
There are fresh indications that the last has not been heard about the crisis rocking the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), even as the association’s National President, Tony Iju Nwabunike has intervened into the crisis with a view to finding solutions.
In an interview with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos yesterday, National Secretary of ANLCA, Alhaji Babatunde Mukaila said the National Executive Committee (NECOM) has summoned the BOT members for a meeting on Thursday (Today) at the National Secretariat in Lagos.
Earlier yesterday, there were reports that some members of the board had wanted to hold meetings at the National Secretariat but they were not permitted by the President.
Apart from these, members of ANLCA who spoke with our correspondent under anonymity criticised the Board Chairman, Henry Njoku for allegedly pursuing selfish interest and that his refusal to step down as board chairman is creating crisis in the board.
"Why does Henry Njoku want to die there as BOT Chairman? He has been there for more than seven years, he has refused to accept the results of the last election conducted by the BOT among themselves, in the East, he is still parading himself as the BOT Chairman”
“Taiwo Oyeniyi was telling me that they wanted to hold board meeting at the secretariat but Tony Iju is not allowing them,the meeting was supposed to hold yesterday, Wednesday but it could not.
Aare Sanni Shittu, Taiye Oyeniyi and Peter Obi were said to have come for the meeting but they were turned back.
There were also reports of the ANLCA national secretariat being militarised with presence of armed police officers as at early Wednesday morning, this according to some members was to discourage the BOT members from coming to make trouble.
But speaking with our correspondent, the ANLCA national secretary, Babatunde Mukaila denied the reports.
He said there was no official communication between himself as the National Secretary of ANLCA and the Secretary of the board, Taiye Oyeniyi about the purported meeting.
He said, "If there is going to be a meeting of such, I should be aware as the secretary of association, just like you have said, I have also been hearing the rumor but nobody is disturbing anybody"
"We have told them that whatever may be your differences, lock yourselves in a room and resolve it. We have given them that rope to go and resolve their differences, but we are taking the initiative away from them now"
"I can tell you clearly that the NECOM is having a meeting with them tomorrow, since they cannot agree among themselves, they should come and tell us what the problem is"
"We have set up a meeting with them, we want to hear it firsthand what the issues are, because everybody is bound by ANLCA constitution" Mukaila said BOT chairmanship is not constitutional and should not divide ANLCA.
According to him, the NEC might have to suggest to the BOT to rotate their chairmanship based on each meeting. It means that for each meeting, a chairman should preside.
When he was contacted by Shipping Position Daily, Secretary of the ANLCA board, Prince Taiye Oyeniyi confirmed the meeting coming up today. He however said that it was just a board meeting.
"We are having a board meeting tomorrow, on this issue of the controversy, please give us the benefit of doubt till tomorrow, immediately after our meeting we are going to have a press conference"
"The election has been held, a new chairman has emerged, but you know that it is not easy for somebody to quit position, he has been there for over 10 years and for him to leave now is not easy, but we are trying to sort it out" he said.
