INTERVIEW
Ahead of the elections that are expected to hold this month in the National Council of Managing Directors Licensed Customs (NCMDLCA) , Chairman of the association’s Electoral Commission; Chief Boniface Okoye in this interview talked about what to expect. Chief Okoye; licensed customs agent told our correspondent; Roland Ekama about the need for the elections hold as scheduled. He also spoke on and other sundry issues bothering on customs, trade facilitation and CRFFN.
Kindly give us an update on the level of preparations for elections into the Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, especially sakes of electoral forms?
For now, we have sold 14 forms in all positions. Six people will be contesting for the post of President; for Secretary we have about six as well; for treasurer, we have about two contestants while vice president has two so what else do we need to conduct the election.
What is the level of acceptability between Amiwero’s group and that of Ejiofor as regards the elections?
You can force a pig or camel to the stream, but you can never ever force it to drink water. We have already opened all the doors for them to embrace peace and progress in the Council. I think both of them lack common sense because now is the time for them to move the NCMDLCA forward. Imagine a place where Amiwero ruled for 13 years, he cannot conduct election; a place Ejiofor ruled for six years no elections as well. We expected both of them to come out and say they want to contest if truly they are leaders who have followers. As we speak NCMDLCA is the laughing stock among other freight forwarding associations and we feel there is need to put a stop to all that. Before now, the NCMDLCA was all and all in the Customs brokerage practice, but today it has been ridiculed by all the practitioners and now that we want to organise the place for the sole aim to progress onto the next level. I think we are right on course. Going down memory lane I will say Council was even supposed to be bigger than ANCLA, but as we speak the reverse is the case.
Where can we say is the national secretariat of the association, considering the fact that it is a major criteria for meeting the CRFFN requirement?
As far as I am concerned, NCMDLCA does not have a befitting secretariat. Apart from that if Lucky Amiwero and Festus Ejiofor know what they are doing, how come they don’t have chapter secretariats for members all these years. We can’t be running the Council as if whenever you see Ejiofor you will say he is Council, the same goes to Lucky. All the long years they have been in office, there is nothing to show; not even a chapter secretariat. If Lucky knows what he is doing all this years he would have put in place chapters for his followers as at then. He has nothing to show for the longer years he has remained president of the council; same goes to Ejiofor. It is a shameful act for both Lucky Amiwero and Festus Ejiofor to come out and say they are president for all the years without anything to hold on to as achievement. I remember that Ejiofor was asked to come in and re organise the association, then look for a befitting secretariat and for years now, I don’t know where the secretariat is?
I recall you said sale of forms will end in April, so when is the election expected to hold?
We are not going to change the date of the election, because the election is going to hold on the 14th of April 2016 and subsequently, if there are any changes as time goes by, I will let you know. But we have declined that the election will hold on that date in Apapa.
What is the role of CRFFN in this election?
CRFFN will supervise this election, it is very happy that the association is ready to change is leadership. You recall that Lucky Amiwero is not on the same page with the CRFFN, while Ejiofor is not even thinking of organising an election.
What are your expectations about the contestants at the polls?
It is all about elections that will effect change and progress in NCMDLCA; that’s all. We, the electoral committee will meet this week to put in place a template for the election. However, rest assured that the council’s election is aimed at ensuring that the association bounces back as it used to in time past. Again, once we are through with the national executives’ election; we will immediately proceed to chapters’ elections.
Can you give us the list of those vying for the post of President?
I don’t need to tell you about those contesting for the post of President. I suggest you be on the lookout, because campaign has begun, the contestant are already campaigning, we are in electioneering stage and I believe they might have come out with their flyers and banners all over the port community. Some of the contestant also argued that there is no need for noise making, that they know how to win the election without much noise. I can tell you that the contestants for the post of president are from both Ejiofor and Amiwero’s camps.
What is your message to the contestants?
We have three aims and objectives to achieve as regards the elections; therefore I can only wish the winners goodluck and anyone that comes out victorious should be reminded that the essence of his coming in as president of NCMDLCA is to bring about progress. Our objectives include to acquire a befitting secretariat and to bring back our glory of being recognised by stakeholders plus good leadership quality.
What is your assessment of Hameed Ali since his appointment as Comptroller General of Customs by President Muhammadu Buhari?
The problem of customs basically has to do with the commands and once the CGC can remove issues bothering on tribalism of officers; I think the customs will be repositioned for effective performance. What is happening in some of the commands is that some of the posting is bigger than the officers from Assistant Controllers and Deputy Controllers. These officers performance are below average in trade facilitation and their primary duty. Therefore what the CGC needs to do is to put square pegs in square holes. He needs to make sure that an enforcement officer does what he or she is good at. Same goes to valuation, and others in most of the commands in customs; there is what we called big shoe for small officer and vice versa, hence some of them fumble at the end; creating bottleneck in the process. And with such practice in place, I don’t think corruption can be eliminated just like that. We know that the CG is not an insider therefore he needs somebody that can tell him the truth for him to succeed. He is an appointee of the President, hence there is need to guide him properly. When he newly came in as CG he was so boastful that he will jail and deal with corrupt officers, but today nobody has been dealt with by him. When he newly came, I thought he has great ideas at his disposal not knowing that he is like other CGCs that have come and gone. If he feels that Customs officers will advise him the right way, so be it, but I know it would have been better for him to seek opinion from the license customs brokers, shipping companies and terminal operators as well. The issue of alert here and there is part of the corruption Ali is talking about, yet it’s still in existence.
In your own view, what can be done to revive CRFFN?
Elections into the Council is long overdue because with the governing council in place; I believe the council will be organised for better performance as regards its regulatory role. Again, the CEMA and the CRFFN Act are two separate instruments that have been misconstrued by the practitioners. There is no need to harmonise both instruments, because they are under separate ministries and their functions are well defined and stipulated. I totally disagree for the two instruments to be harmonised, because one talks about customs operations while the other is talking about the practitioners and how they can regulated; which is as simple as that. There is no point for both instruments to be harmonised, because CEMA has been in existence for years without hitches, how come CRFFN Act is creating some hiccup for CEMA?
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