By Uzor Odigbo
Executives of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) have concluded plans for the constitution of a new board on or before the end of December 2020. The action is slated to come alongside the NECOM Annual General Meeting scheduled to hold in two weeks, during which a new board members will emerge.
Recall that the tenure of the former Board expired February 10th 2020; ANLCA had nine former board members, four of who have voluntarily decided not to continue in office, while five others have been alleged to be responsible for the crisis rocking the association.
National President of ANLCA, Tony Iju Nwabunike who disclosed this at a world press conference in Lagos, reiterated that the association under his watch stood its ground against resistance from aggrieved members of the association, lamenting that several litigations affected the performance of the current executives.
He listed those he accused of being responsible for the numerous crises in the association. Nwabunike warned some former board members who have been working to create crisis in the association that it will no longer be business as usual.
The ANLCA President alongside his Vice President, Dr. Kayode Farinto, Secretary, Alhaji Babatunde Mukaila Abdulazeez, vowed not to allow the former board members continue to drag the association backward.
Nwabunike said that from every record and constitution, the six years tenure of the board under which Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha served has since ended in February this year.
He pointed out that ANLCA would have held its AGM long before now but for the Coronavirus pandemic and the recent #Endsars protest by Nigerian youth which stalled the process.
Nwabunike described as a child’s play the alleged plan by the outgoing board for tenure elongation through the back door, insisting that his reign and those of others has since ended.
He however said that if the board members were interested in continuing in office, they should be ready to contest like every other person. He accused the members of working with some chapter chairmen in the Western zone to derail the efforts of the association.
The President described the election that brought the chairmen as illegal, adding that once the NECOM meeting holds, there will be a new election in the zone.
Nwabunike also said that what has happened is that the board members have been giving false promises to the chapter chairmen that they would allow them continue in office, adding that this was aimed at undermining the constitutional provisions of the association.
On his part, Secretary of the association, highlighted eight litigants currently having issues with the association. He maintained that the ANLCA constitution does not allow the BOT to act as Secretary of the association, adding that the constitution is clear in that regards
