ANLCA members tackle Tony Iju’s NECOM over romance with NAGAFF

…. urge association’s BOT to conduct fresh NECOM election

The Alliance of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Western Zone has condemned the Tony Iju Nwabunike led suspended National Executive Committee (NECOM) over its unholy romance with the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF).

Recall that founder of NAGAFF, Dr Boniface Aniebonam, had while speaking during the inauguration of the new National President of NAGAFF in Lagos last week, stated that he advised the President of ANLCA, Nwabunike to take a decision, which led to the expulsion of some members of the association.

He said, “This is why my big brother, Tony Iju, when he was being disturbed in ANLCA, I told him, Tony you have to take a decision, you cannot satisfy everybody and since Tony Iju took decision in ANLCA, do you still hear noise? Some people were expelled.”

The group said the action of Tony-Iju led NECOM which has subjected ANLCA to an extension of NAGAFF where he takes briefs on how decisions in ANLCA should be made, apart from being anti association was also the reason why the crisis rocking the association has lingered on for over three years.

The group at a press briefing in Lagos on Monday, called on the registered Board of Trustees (BOT) of ANLCA led by Taiwo Mustapha to intervene by conducting election into its NECOM in view of the suspension of the latter by court orders.

Leader of the group, Sir John Ofobike, noted that the absence of a properly constituted NECOM in view of the court order restraining the NECOM led by Tony Iju has left ANLCA with an unnecessary vacuum, creating confusion and acts of lawlessness; which it says is becoming unsettling and unbearable.

Ofobike expressed dismay at the high level of impunity by the suspended national officers despite a court order restraining all elected NECOM from parading themselves as national and zonal officers.

According to Ofobike, the suspended NECOM has constituted itself into an embarrassing spectacle and nuisance, which has dragged ANLCA into the mud to the extent of subjecting the association to a near subservience.

He said the group’s demand for elections to be conducted into the national officers is to stave off further impunity.

He said, “We are constrained by the absence of a national officers to steer the affairs of the association, to call on the legitimate Board of Trustees led by Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha to intervene by appointing or providing leadership in the suspended positions, to stem the tide of despondence amongst members.

“The absence is owing to the Justice Aikawa court order, FHC/L/CS/921, on 26th August 2021, restraining all elected NECOM from parading themselves as National and Zonal Officers, respectively.

“The regular infringement and flagrant disregard of court orders has pushed us to show as a matter of urgency, the need for caution to avert proscription.

“Should ANLCA continue with this spate of abuses, it would present her to the eyes of the law and the general public as an association of an irresponsible group of persons.

“The Alliance of ANLCA Associates Western Zone do hereby declare that we are no longer comfortable seeing Tony lju Nwabunike led suspended NECOM continue to pelt mud of impunity on our hard- earned reputation.

“Tony Iju Nwabunike led suspended NECOM’s suspicious hub-nob with a non- friendly individual and group in a contentious association with ANLCA.

“Under his watch, he subjected ANLCA to a near subservience, running to a splinter organization to take briefs on how ANLCA decisions should be made.

“Tony lju Nwabunike has subjected ANLCA to an extension of NAGAFF and this is not acceptable by this group. His indiscretions have eroded ANLCA’s reputation into near oblivion.

“We are poised at this juncture to recover ANLCA’s dwindling fortunes, reputations and relevance in the industry.

“Non challant and zero interest in the wellbeing of ANLCA members and continued parading themselves despite the restraining order FHC/L/CS/921/2020 by Justice Aikawa.”

Also speaking, a chieftain of the group, Prince Segun Oduntan, dismissed the purported extension of the tenure of the Tony-Iju NECOM, saying the group has lost confidence in the leadership of the suspended President.

He accused Tony Iju of being insensitive to the plights of clearing agents despite the many operational challenges they are faced with at the port.

According to him, the alliance between Tony Iju-led NECOM and NAGAFF is not out of concern to address members’ operational challenges but for their self- interest on the gains of the CRFFN sharing formula.

“Why the crisis in ANLCA has continued to drag is because the suspended President, Tony is acting on instruction from a slinter organization and when you have someone who is clueless acting on instruction, the problems will linger.

“The challenges we face are enormous and we all know that there is a problem in the system. It is not only those in ANLCA that are suffering, those in NAGAFF too are facing the challenge. But I can tell you that the romance you see today is fake. It is because they want to damage but we will not allow it. That is why you see them clamoring for 6-6-1-1-1 sharing formula for the CRFFN election. Are they the ones that got my license for me? Why would somebody want to be eating from me?” he quizzed.

Oduntan called for the deregistration of NAGAFF by CRFFN because according to him, the group is not an association.

“Where we do election and bring people to represent us, you don’t just say I sack a sitting President by mouth and bring in someone else. So NAGAFF should be deregistered by CRFFN because it belongs to an individual, they are not an association.,” he said.