The immediate past National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Otunba Babatunde Mukaila has revealed his reasons for vying for a position on the association’s Board of Trustees.
Mukaila, in a chat with our correspondent on Tuesday said he is driven by a desire to bring innovation and clarity to the roles of the board in the association, adding that he has the wealth of experience and a clear understanding of the organisation’s intricacies. “Our Board of Trustees has often overstepped its legally-defined boundaries, encroaching on governance roles meant for the executive arm,” he said.
He explained that his primary goal in joining the Board is to redefine and restrict its activities to its constitutional mandate. “The Board should meet three times a year. Instead, it has been involved in the day-to-day decisions, often conflicting with the President’s duties.
“We need a Board that advises the President constructively, not one that competes with him,” he asserts.
He expressed his past achievements which include establishing a comprehensive database for ANLCA members, which has improved transparency and organization within the association will be beneficiary to the board if elected.
Addressing rumors that his candidacy is being pushed by the current NECOM leadership, Mukaila states, “no one is pushing me into this. My decision to run is based on a belief that without my presence, the same mistakes will be repeated, leading to the same results.”
He emphasized the personal and professional sacrifices he has made for ANLCA, debunking any notions of external influence on his decision.
Addressing speculations of discord between him and the former acting President of the association Dr. Kayode Farinto, he said “Dr. Farinto was my immediate boss. Despite our differences, particularly during the turbulent elections, we kept ANLCA intact,” he says. Mukaila insists that there is no lingering bad blood, attributing any tensions to the nature of election politics. “It was simply election semantics. We maintained the association’s stability even amidst threats and violence.”
