Oluyinka Onigbinde
The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has disowned four of its members who were recently appointed as National Executives by Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha- led factional Board of Trustees (BoT).
The four were appointed as interim national executives to run the association.
In an exclusive chat with the National Secretary of the association; Alhaji Babatunde Mukaila, he said the four persons appointed by the factional leader of the association into the interim National Executive Committee (NECOM) of the factional group are not known under the supreme constitution of ANLCA because they don’t have valid customs licenses to practice as customs brokers.
They include: Pius Ujubuonu, the Acting National President, Adeyinka Jamiu Ishola, the Acting National Vice President, Waheed Badmus, the Acting Financial Secretary and Francis Ozemede Itua, the Acting National Publicity Secretary (NPS) of the factional group.
Mukaila further alleged that the four persons appointed by Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha have no licenses, while stating Mustapha who claimed to be a leader in ANLCA should know the association’s constitution, wondering if he was just being mischievous to cause confusion in ANLCA.
He stated that; “The constitution of ANLCA irrespective of any version at your disposal, Section (4), under Membership stipulates that members of the association shall be limited to corporate bodies incorporated under the CAMA1990 as amended 2020.
“So, all our AGM is supposed to be governed by general members, those Companies who are corporate members of ANLCA.
“It is just the company owners that should come forward and participate in the AGM and the representatives of those companies ought to be Directors who must have had, (this is the caveat), at least 10% of the shareholding of those companies and at least five years running and whose membership status must as well be five years with ANLCA” he said.
Speaking on the requirements for members of the association who want to attend the AGM, he said “In my simple answer, a little while ago, I talked about Section (4) of our constitution, about membership. The other thing, very important, is what should follow to register as a member of ANLCA.
“Any member of ANLCA under the same Section (4), Sub-section (3) Registration of members, states that for that purpose of Registration ” A member shall make an application in writing to the ANLCA Headquarters through his chapter within his area of an operation via Executive or Committee set up, shall recommend the applicant to the NECOM.
“The applicant is deemed fit and proper to be admitted as a member. He shall be so admitted”.
There are fees to be paid and the fee is N10,000, from members, which is the Annual Dues. So that qualifies you if you have a valid License and be up to date financially for you to attend the AGM” he added
When asked about what could be the reason why the Taiwo Mustapha faction refused to be part of the AGM schedule initially he said, “I wouldn’t know why, because if you are a member of ANLCA, it’s an automatic thing for you to attend the AGM as the Director of your company whose License is valid, and two who have paid their dues up to date.
“I want to believe anybody raising eyebrows, is it that they don’t have a license or they are not financially up to date as members of ANLCA? That will be my straightforward answer.
“In a situation of crises all over the world, crises of war in that perspective, the first casualty is the truth and ANLCA is not an exception.
There has been a lot of falsehood, and fake news and to put it in a very straight perspective, I believe some ANLCA members who have served either by errors of commission or omission at the highest level should know better and be conversant with their constitution.
“I will go straight to when Mustapha broke in here ( ANLCA National Secretariat) and said he has been appointed interim NECOM. The constitution of ANLCA is very clear under Section ( 4), that members of ANLCA shall be limited by Corporate companies, notwithstanding Sub-section (1) and under Section ( 2). It went further to say that no company or firm shall be registered as a member of ANLCA if, Section ( 4), Subsection (2a) does not carry on business in the Shipping and Freight Forwarding (b) if not Licensed by Nigeria Customs.
“I see it as mischief or lack of knowledge on the part of Taiwo Mustapha to have violated the ANLCA constitution by appointing people who do not have corporate Company Licenses by the Customs to positions at the National level.
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