Tony Iju Nwabunike is the National President of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA). Recently he held a press briefing, where he spoke on the crisis in the association. Oluyinka Onigbinde brings you excerpts from the session.
“The role of Prince Olayiwola Shitu in ANLCA crisis is not too good”
Will you go ahead to conduct the association’s AGM without the board?
I can tell you that, for you to have even the board; you have to have an AGM, so it is the AGM that even brings in the board, why we have not done the AGM has been as result of COVID 19. In fact, we would have done our AGM before now and because it’s going to be difficult to have a zoom AGM, we now took a decision to stay a little bit, so the AGM necessitated the board.
Have you tried to explore out-of-court settlement?
It will interest you to know that this NECOM, when we took a decision to bring back those who said I was not their president, some of our members says no, that we should allow them to continue, in fact my co-executives got so angry that they nearly took me to court, that I should not allow them. I told them in this place that we agreed at a National Executive Council meeting which is the highest organ, and I forgave them. I gave them a blanket forgiveness and we mandated them to go and withdraw all the court cases, till today, not a single court case was withdrawn, rather they continue to multiply the court case, so we have given them such grace and honestly, we don’t have the spirit and mind to continue.
A committee was set up, headed by Alhaji Isah from Kano, members from all the zones were there, including the zonal coordinator of western zone, and that of east and north, and they took a decision that every of these court cases must be withdrawn, but they went back to do the same thing they are doing, so we’ve exhausted all the avenues for the out of court settlement.
What’s the update on the western zone elections, are you going to uphold it?
As regards the election , I asked them to bring that certificate because the certificate must be signed by the President, I asked them to bring it, to let me see it, imagine a certificate that was not signed by the President of the association and you want me to recognize that chapter, in fact as a matter of fact, some chapters were not even qualified as at that point in time, like Tin Can till today Tin Can is standing to be elected, because they were not part of it, but because that’s not what they are looking for, what they are looking for is to make sure this NECOM does not exist, but they are not God.
The factional Chairman of the BoT said he has made several moves to ensure peace and has written about five letters to that effect, why have you not grant him that opportunity?
I want to be sincere with you, Mustapha is a person I don’t want to call a pathological liar, but he is, a very crafty human being, he is my friend and I will tell you the truth, no single letter except if the secretary is having them. I have made every effort; even telling them lets go and do a new election and that I will make sure he becomes the chairman board on the new election, bring all the four that are supposed to, who are supposed to contest this election to join the five, so that we can have a smooth sail election, so that nobody will take us to court. But Mustapha want to be a chairman board that is not recognized, I have tried my best possible, I have bent my rules and let me tell you I am the most bastardised, insulted president of ANLCA, everybody can now go and throw the dustbin on my head just because I want peace, even my vice president is very angry with me on decisions that I take sometimes. So, I am no more ready to dance to the tune of Mustapha, telling you one thing today and another thing tomorrow. Mustapha is very unstable, Mustapha is the most unstable person, I have dealt with, and I don’t want to go further.
We are interested in the peace of ANLCA, what’s the way forward?
Let me ask you a question, with eight court cases against me, but have I gone to court with anybody, so why am I not looking for peace?
Have you exhausted every means to allow for peace in the association?
I have told you times without number that the way forward now is that Mustapha and the three others who are qualified to go for board should go and contest with others who have been buying the form now, and the NECOM will make sure Mustapha might become the chairman board if he wins.
Are there no leaders in the association that can help resolve this crisis?
Let me just say it this way, I will say there are some elders in ANLCA that don’t want peace, I remember Peter Elocka called for a peace meeting one time, I was in that meeting and he said the crisis is not too good for ANLCA. At that meeting Sir, Elochukwu was there too, and he advised that we should look for a way forward and everybody promised to sheath their sword, but let me say this for record purpose, the role of our former president is not too good, I want to say this without any ambiguity, the role of Prince Olayiwola Shitu in this crisis is not too good. He will tell you he sees no evil and doesn’t touch any evil, but if you look at the actors, I stand to be corrected, if you look at the actors on the other side, it is either you find his Personal Assistant involved or his former staff involved, because if he does not know about this problem, he can call this people to order, but he has refused to do that. So to answer your question, we have leaders , some of them have proffered solutions, but the role of the immediate past president in the whole of this crisis is not too good, there is so much ambiguity and it looks as if he is not happy with this NECOM, because he has been the President of this association for eight years and to the glory of God, it was during his tenure that we got this secretariat, ordinarily he should look at who are your successors and how are they faring, but he has not done that and from all indications, he has a hand in it.
What’s the honey pot in the board that is causing this crisis?
Yes, there is something in the board, I have been in the board, why I said something is in board is because the powers they have given us here (Constitution) can even go and make you ask two or three chapter chairmen and tell them bring things for me I will take care of you, let me tell you the truth if I have left my vice president to take decision on some of these issues, we would have closed some of these issues.
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