Customs CG pledges support for ANLCA

...Expresses confidence in new exco

The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents ( ANLCA) on Thursday inaugurated its newly elected National Executive Committee (NECOM) ushering a new dawn for the association after it’s over five years leadership crisis.

The inauguration which was well attended by industry bigwigs including the immediate past Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside; Chairman, Customs Consultative Committee (CCC), Aare Hakeem Olanrewaju; former President, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Eugene Nweke, President-General, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Adewale Adeyanju; former ANLCA President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu; Customs Area Controller, Tin Can Island Port, Comptroller Dera Nnadi, among others also witnessed a large turn-out of ANLCA members.

Speaking at the inauguration, the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, expressed confidence in the ability of the new ANLCA NECOM to pilot the affairs of the association to greater heights.

Adeniyi advised the Emenike Nwokeoji led-NECOM to embrace team work and carry everyone along including members who lost in the election for the success of the association.

Represented by the Zonal Coordinator in charge of Zone ‘A’, Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, Bello Muhammed Jibo, Adeniyi reaffirmed the Service commitment to stronger partnership with the Customs brokers, promising to work with the new executives.

He pointed out that customs cannot deliver its mandate without cordial relationship with customs agents.

“We need them as much as they need us. We are the ones that regulate the customs agents and we ensure that they comply with all clearance processes. So we cannot work without them likewise they cannot work without us. With these present executives and the present management of Customs service, we are going to work hand in hand for the success of the country.

“The Service has confidence in the calibre of leaders that are going to drive this important association to a higher level. We are ready and available to have regular consultations to our operations for the development and progress of this nation.I’m reaffirming our already existing relationship will be stronger and better for the benefit of ANLCA and Customs,” Adeniyi said.

Earlier in his lecture, immediate past Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council, Hassan Bello challenged clearing agents and freight forwarders to embrace technology and move their operations online so as not to be left behind by the rest of the world.

“The focus should be what is happening in the global trade. Embracing change means technology and being able to work with computer and conduct essential business in this regard.

“Agents still conduct business manually with customers fielding out documents and processing paper work which is quite tedious. We have to embrace the use of technology. Embracing technology is the key to the growth of the profession. Agents must, out of necessity, transit or face the awkward situation of being dragged as the weakest link in shipping,” he said.

Bello who stressed the need to sustain the peace in ANLCA, advised the association leadership to shun mediocrity and embrace professionalism.

“We must work to ensure that we don’t go through that road of crisis again. We must be able to see that the history of ANLCA is a history of change and transformation and not history of bickering, power struggle and animosity. Now that peace and calm have been achieved, we must shun mediocrity and petiness. We must embarce professionalism, ” he said.

On his part, former Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, charged the new ANLCA president to prioritize the interest of his members just as he called for unity and tolerance.

He also called on the Nigeria Customs Service to support ANLCA members to succeed by making concessions and ensure that the association regain its lost glory.

“The partnership between ANLCA and customs is like a marriage that can never be divorced. As for Customs, ANLCA is your wife in this marriage, and you must be a good husband, support them, make concessions where you need to.
Your regulatory powers does not mean you should suppress them, it means you should encourage them to succeed, ” he said.

Also speaking, the Chairman of ANLCA Board of Trustees, Alh.Taiwo Mustapha described the inauguration of the new exco as a new beginning in the modern history of the association.

He urged the leadership to learn from past mistakes by fostering unity in the association.

“ANLCA crisis in the last five years has been a huge setback for the freight forwarding industry in Nigeria and by extension a problem for the larger maritime industry. We were just hovering around for years without coordinating ourselves. I thank God that today the crisis is over and I pray that we never witness such problems again,” he said.

In his welcome address, President of ANLCA, Sir. Emenike Nwokeoji stated that the NECOM election which held on 7th September, 2023 marked the end of over five years of unnecessary and avoidable conflict in ANLCA.

He said the NECOM election was lost by both contending parties but won by all ANLCA members.

According to him, “The victory belongs to all of us. Building on our Restoration mantra, we have done so much within such a short period in stabilizing the ship of our great association. Peace and Unity are more paramount now than ever before.

“After years of doldrums, we should avoid divisions and work in harmony to collectively project our common heritage before others, particularly, foreigners will shove us behind Once again, let’s join hands with sister associations, we should come together, unite to rescue our profession from outsiders masquerading as either clearing agents or customs brokers before it is too late.”

While expressing appreciation to members of the association for their resilience, perseverance during the crisis, Nwokeoji solicited for their support in the task of leading ANLCA back to both national and international reckoning.

“The event of today is meant to once again inform the general public and particularly the stakeholders that ANLCA is fully back in the comity of associations in the maritime industry to take its rightful position as the Numero uno customs brokerage/freight forwarding association in Nigeria especially an internationally.

“We intend to hereafter, reach out to all stakeholders to synergize on issues bothering on the advancement of the maritime and aviation industries and in fact, our national policy issues as it affects our subsectors in order to present a formidable and common front”, he assured.

The ANLCA Presidemt also expressed appreciation to the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in ANLCA (CRFFN), Customs CG and the ANLCA Board of Trustees for the roles they played in restoring peace back to the association.

Photo caption:

Former Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peter side ( left) and ACG Muhammed Jibo ( right) decorating the ANLCA President with the insignia of his new office at the inauguration in Lagos on Thursday.