Founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF); Dr. Boniface Aniebonam has described last week’s western zone election of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) as a flop.
Speaking at a round table with members of the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) in Lagos last week, Aniebonam said that the low turnout of voters during the election has further showed that ANLCA does not have licenses from people who can vote, despite its empty claims of being the largest association in freight forwarding.
He said that in the past elections of ANLCA, the association normally reach out to rent licenses from other sister associations for between N10,000 and N20,000.
The NAGAFF founder however said that sister associations under the aegis of Concerned Accredited Freight Forwarding Associations (CAFFA) have instructed their members not to borrow their licenses to ANLCA members during the election.
The CAFFA consists of NAGAFF, Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN) NAFAC and NCMDLCA.
Aniebonam said: “Remember they claimed that all the licenses belonged to them, so where are the licenses? It is because in NAGAFF we directed our members not to release their licenses. Under CAFFA we told our members not to give their licenses to anybody”
“They used to buy the licenses for N10,000, but this time we refused so that we can see their number and we have seen it”
“If you look at the election, in a chapter you have 41 votes, in other chapters you have just 7 voters, Apapa port of all places, we had all of the executives unopposed, there were no licenses for them to manipulate with” he said.
The NAGAFF Founder said that the problem of ANLCA is that they were not taking advantage of their president; Prince Olayiwola Shittu, rather they are antagonizing him.
He said that there is a paradigm shift and that very soon NAGAFF will take over the industry, especially at the Airport Chapter.
”The law of diminishing returns is affecting ANLCA. If you watch our sister association you will know that the graph is already down and it will give way for a new order”
“The election showed that it is not the same ANLCA we used to know, the turn out was so low if you go by figure, something has gone wrong” he noted.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that, at the end of the elections last week, Chairman of Association Electoral Committee (ASECO) of ANLCA, Alhaji Babatunde Mukaila told journalists that at the Kirikiri chapter, nobody was willing to come forward and purchase forms for positions.
Continuing, Aniebonam said out of 100% license in circulation, ANLCA members own 30% while the other associations share 70%.
“When the issue of POF started, ANLCA said they were in the greater number, we called for the register of freight forwarders from CRFFN and NAGAFF was 4000 in number, and the total number of licenses issued by customs is about 900, out of this ANLCA has 30%” he said.
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