•“You are a criminal, chameleon”— Taye Oyeniyi”
From all indications, any hope of the resolution of the crises that have engulfed the Board of Trustee (BoT) of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) appeared deemed last week, as parties to the face-off engage in allegations and counter allegations
Recall that in an exclusive interview with Shipping Position Daily last week, a former national president of the association who is also a member of its BoT, Sir, Ernest Elochukwu accused the embattled chairman of the board, Chief Henry Njoku and two elders of the association who are also members of the BoT, Chief Peter Obih and Aare SanniShittu of writing to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to put the file of the association in caveat with the intention of making it impossible for them to register as members of the board.
Elochukwu had frowned that it is not the work of the elected members of the board to register their names as trustees of the association with the CAC.
But reacting to the accusation, Njoku in a telephone conversation with our correspondent last week, accused the Secretary of the BoT, Prince TayeOyeniyi of embezzling over N600, 000 given to him to register the board members at the CAC.
He said that it was when a faction insisted on the change of leadership of the board that the idea of the members regularizing their names with CAC came up.
“Prince TayeOyeniyi collected money two times to register the board and he ‘ate ‘the money, he didn’t do it, the former legal adviser collected money and they didn’t do anything about it. Now when Taye who is a Secretary did not do anything, when they started making trouble of change, we said well, if you want, you will first go and regularize your names at the CAC, it should be there as a board member, because you name is not there” , he stated.
Giving details of the caveat in the association’s files in CAC, he admitted that there was a caveat, even as he explained that it was because the matter was in court as at that time.
“And they said No; that they are doing election, then Chief Peter Obih went to court to challenge that election whether it can take place or not. And then the court ruled that as far as even the CAC is concerned, that they are not even members of BoT and that until my tenures expires. So within that time that they were in court yes, there was a caveat because you can’t be in court and you go and start doing amendments so that was what happened.
“So anybody who wants to come in, should not come through the back door he/she should go and stand for election and then come back as a board member. A caveat means that nothing should be done because the processes were in court and until the court determines that, you don’t need to touch it that is what it is. It is not when you are in court with someone you start doing amendments, it doesn’t work like that ; you are giving a wrong impression”
Njoku alleged that TayeOyeniyi was given over N300, 000 twice to register the BoT members with CAC which he never did, even as he accused the immediate past president of the association, Prince OlayiwolaShittu of instigating the crisis.
“Instead of holding Taye who ate the money twice, I know he collected over N300, 000 twice for the registration, he said he has a lawyer who will do that for him. You know people are just being economical with the truth, but I will tell you the truth. He should be ashamed for not registering those people, in fact those people should hold him responsible for eating their money without registering them”, he alleged.
Meanwhile, in his response, TayeOyeniyi said that Njoku forged the letter headed paper of the association and wrote to CAC to but the files of the association in caveat.
“Quote me that Chief Njoku is a criminal, he was the one that forged our letter head to caveat our file that made it impossible for us to register the other members, the man is a chameleon, you can quote me like that”
He said: “Whatever thing he had told you are all lies, how can somebody forge a letter head and then ask the CAC to remove the file of the association from the shelve and the same man will be saying that he gave someone money to register members, how do you relate the two together. Are you aware that they forge our letter head? I am telling you now and I can be quoted”
He alleged that the trio of Henry Njoku, Peter Obih and SanniShittu forged the letter headed paper of the association to write to CAC.
Oyeniyi maintained that when they were arrested by Police they quickly petitioned to the Inspector General of Police that they were being harassed.
“Henry Njoku, Peter Obih and Aare SanniShittu, three of them forged our letter head and they were arrested at Alagbon and from there they petitioned IG that they were being harassed and because they were invited to come and answer charges of their criminal act what they did was to go to court under the violation of human right and their case was dismissed. I can give you the suit number so that you can ask them this was what I said”, he alleged.
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