AREFFN Accuses ANLCA of Flouting Amaechi’s Directive Over Fees Collection

President of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN) Dr. Frank Ukor has accused the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) of flouting Transport Minister; Rotimi Amaechi's ? directive that no association must collect the controversial practising fee at the port.
Ukor in an exclusive chat with Shipping Position Daily yesterday alleged that ANLCA ?was still collecting the practising fees at Port Harcourt airport, Abuja, and Kano airport.
He also told our correspondent that ?AREFFN executives at Onne port Chapter would be dissolved on Thursday 23, 2016 in order to give way for democratisation in the chapter.
He disclosed that the executives at Onne Chapter led by Alhaji Bala Lawal were appointed in 2012 and that they have piloted the affairs of the chapter for four years.
Dr. Ukor alleged that ?ANLCA has been collecting practising fees from all clearing agents at the airports and has prevented others from doing so.
"Even now at the Port Harcourt Airport, ANLCA is saying that they do not want any other association there, our office is there but they said they won't carry us along in what they were doing?, they were still collecting money there and at all the airports" Ukor alleged.
He said that a three-man caretaker committee will be set up to conduct elections within three months.
"We want to dissolve the Onne Chapter Executives so that we can prepare for elections, the elections will come anytime between September and December"
"The Caretaker Committee is given three months to conduct the elections. The executives have stayed there since 2012 and it's already four years"
"The other time we wanted to have the elections but they said they were not ready, but now whether they are ready or not they have to do it. The executives were appointed."
"We want to have democratically elected leaders at Onne because that is the only place that is working?, there is more understanding among the associations there because there is mostly Igbo people there"
"ANLCA tried to marginalize us but we squared them up? until they come to terms and resolved with us"? he said
However, when he was contacted by Shipping Position Daily, National Publicity Secretary of ANLCA, Mr. Kayode Farinto debunked the claims by Dr. Ukor as baseless and unfounded.
He argued that the association was not collecting any practising fees at the airports.
"For now, we have stopped all collection of dues from our members in compliance with the directive of the minister, anybody making such claims is being mischievous"
"You can go and verify if you want" Farinto said.