The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has said it would take disciplinary action against some of its prominent members who are hobnobbing with the International Freight Forwarders Association (IFFA), saying that the association considers this an anti – association activity.
Shipping Position Daily learnt that the matter was discussed at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the association held in Port Harcourt penultimate week, where a board member of ANLCA; Chief Peter Obi who is also the Board of Trustees Chairman of IFFA has promised to wound-down the IFFA, if it's activities will hurt ANLCA.
Our correspondent reported last week that, a top member of ANLCA at the Tin Can Island Chapter, Ojo Peter Akintoye was the latest to be poached by IFFA to become its Chairman at Tin Can. The National President of IFFA, Dr. Sam Onyemelikwe who was an ANLCA member had said last week that being a member of IFFA does not hinder anyone from belonging to other associations.
Shipping Position Daily also learnt that the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) is set to give accreditation to the IFFA; this would increase the number of associations registered by CRFFN to six.
But speaking with our correspondent on the outcome of the recent NEC meeting, ANLCA President; Prince Olayiwola Shittu said that “ANLCA constitution says that you cannot belong to two associations, you cannot be in ANLCA and belong to a rival association, such people would be referred to a disciplinary committee and at the end of the day, whatever decision is taken at NEC is the end of it”
“The issue came up at NEC, a board member who is also the board chairman of IFFA came up and said that since ANLCA is not comfortable with IFFA, they are going to wound down, whether this is correct or not, I don't know. We have many ANLCA members there, but nobody has come out to say boldly that they are no longer in ANLCA”
“Anybody that subscribes to ANLCA constitution in section 24, the clause is that even by utterances or actions; once you are anti-association we must refer you to the disciplinary committee who would recommend what to do with them. If you want to go to another association, you need to leave the rope of ANLCA” he said.
While attempting to trace the establishment of the IFFA group, the ANLCA President likened it to a tribal platform established by some ANLCA members. He noted that ANLCA has other tribal and pressure groups established within its fold but that these groups do not try to muscle with their mother association.
“IFFA is a tribal platform, the activities of IFFA looks like it was established to spite ANLCA, but they still answer ‘freight forwarders’ and they are yet to be registered by CRFFN. The only official that we know of is the man that lost election in Tin Can Chapter whom I understand has been captured by IFFA to make them have a national look”
“But when you look at IFFA from the beginning, the founding members belong to ANLCA and this was why I call it a tribal platform, just like Odua Maritime Forum, they don't muscle ANLCA in any way, what IFFA want to do is to muscle ANLCA, but they are targeting individuals”
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