‘I’ll support G9 led ANLCA BoT To Retool Our Governance System’ – Awonuga

Alhaji Olatunde Awonuga is a member of the formidable G9 like-minds, contesting membership ticket of the forthcoming election into the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA).

In this interview with journalists, he identified areas of deficit within the association’s governance system he believe should be addressed urgently, such as an Abuja Liaison Office to ease the challenges of members shuttling Nigeria Customs Service headquarters.

Speaking on variety of issues, including opponents in the upcoming election, Alhaji Awonugu said he’ll use his political contacts to support the G9 led BoT  to make issues of operating license application, query and renewal an ANLCA corporate task rather than individual members running helter-skelter any time the customs service sneezes.  Eguono Odjegba participated in the media chat and reports. Excerpt:

Can we meet you sir?

My name is Alhaji Olatunde Awonuga and I am into freight forwarding with over 25 years of experience. I was formerly a financial secretary in the Apapa chapter, later; I graduated to the secretary in the same Apapa chapter. Since then, I’ve been trying to see how I could make little contributions within my capacity on how to add value to ANLCA and how to get involved in re-organizing it to meet up present day needs.

There was a crisis that lasted a little more than five years, what did you do during the period to help bring about stability and peace?

During the crisis period I was mainly based in Abuja because I am a politician, but anytime there were issues related to the crisis in whatever ways, be it police, court and or discussions and meetings, I would intervene for them and see how best we could quickly resolve them. Like it is said, so far, so good, that is what I’ve been doing for the association.

Apapa chapter appears to be the hub of majority members of ANLCA members, you said you were once a financial secretary and later became the secretary. We hear murmuring from some opponents that you absconded from your position as the secretary, and that you didn’t conclude your tenure and that you left without informing anybody and that your unceremonious departure was a disservice to the chapter. How do you react to that?

Anyone who says that does not have full information about what transpired. It was during the period that we had the crisis. And then you find out that when you have a court case and the court says you had been removed, you cannot parade yourself as a national officer or national leadership, would you ignore the court? At that time, you have a judgment from court A, another court B will come up with another judgment. We were having a series of court cases that couldn’t allow someone to perform as expected. So what we needed to do then was to wait till the final judgment was given, because we all know that when a matter is in court, there are limits to how you can operate. So l was acting in line the courts, l didn’t abandon my office and duty.

 Alhaji Babatunde Mukaila is considered a popular opponent, and operates from the Apapa chapter like you and two other members of the G9, he is rumoured to have the secret to election manourvering which may likely derail the G9 permutation. Are you worried and concerned?

Well, as far as I’m concerned, I am not worried regarding any individual, especially those that occupied posts in ANLCA before now at the National Secretariat, be it NECOM, be it BoT. I will tell you why. Let me give you a brief history, ANLCA as an organization was founded in 1954. We are supposed to celebrate our 70^th anniversary this year. If you don’t know, let me tell you also, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) was established in 1959, ANLCA came on board before the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA should be around 65 years if I am not mistaken. Now, let me tell you this. Those that have been in the system all the while, if you look at the system itself, it is evolving, although our elders then tried, they registered the association under trade permit, they are like an artisan, under trade, with the intention that they are just doing their normal trade. By then, you use a personal name for you to acquire a license. As events unfolded, things evolved, we are moving gradually. They (government) insisted that now it has to be an organization they are dealing with. What have our people been doing in the past 70 years since our elders formalized this kind of association?

So l have no reason to worry that someone is contesting out of fear that this individual has done so much, l cannot see what has been done by this individual.  We don’t have a common front up till now, we know those that has made this impossible. In this association, the indiscipline we find ourselves in is intolerable, the former rulers or dictators, whatever they call themselves, have made the association to fall from where it was before they took over. Stakeholders and organizations especially the customs service look at us as unorganized, but thank God since the last election some form of sanity has returned.

How?

If you see the way customs and other agencies treat our members, it’s like they don’t recognize us and our association. You know why? I’ll give you the reason, once you cannot have a common front, the individual trying as much as possible to sell his product will find it a little bit tough. That is why you find out that every other institution tries as much as possible to act responsibly and be organised. For example, Nigerian Bar Association, Nigerian Institute of Chartered Accountants, Institute of Town Planning, Institute of Chartered Brokers and others, because they know there is power in organized groups. What have we been doing all the while, fighting to overrun the board instead of serving as a support organ.

Now that you are aspiring to be on the board, how do you intend to add value, what are your plans?

We are almost 70 years old. I will tell you, in America, their own association, they call them NCBFAA (National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America), they are certified. Do you know what they do? They cited their headquarters in Washington D.C, in their capital. Because they know that is where the state power resides. Where is our headquarters? It is in Lagos; that is number one. Our headquarters is in Lagos, there was a time I was in Abuja, I met about two of our members, they were stranded. They came to solve one minor issue at the headquarters of the Customs, maybe they had some internal issues; at the end of the day, they didn’t have enough resources to go back home even though they wanted to go by road. We cannot serve meaningfully if we don’t inject new blood into the mainstream of ANLCA to serve along those with experience and integrity.

Can you explain that in a simpler way, make your ordinary member understand what you’re saying.

For instance, how do we reconcile a situation that is in direct conflict with the benefits you we seek as an association? Like I said, in Washington D.C., that is where NCBFAA have its headquarters. If ANLCA cannot site its headquarters in Abuja, what stops them from starting with a functional office? That would be a quality move. We put someone there, a technical director or admin manager to serve our needs or run errand for us.

By implication, are you inferring that the G9, when they succeed in getting elected, also intend to look at ANLCA’s National Secretariat to be cited in Abuja as one of its agenda?

What l am saying is that we must look at some of the challenges members have in running to Abuja here And now. The Nigerian labor movement and unions for example, have their head offices in Abuja. NLC has a 10-storey building or more storeys in Abuja. Out of the 10 floors, they lease out spaces to corporate tenants. They are making more money and popularizing the organization. It gives them easier access to government at the center. If you look at our members, they do have issues, maybe issues of renewing their licenses at customs headquarters. All you need to do is to call your desk officer in Abuja, and they quickly attend to it, getting results immediately. Why must all of us go to Abuja for license renewals, individually when we have a national body? In America, for instance, the renewal of a license is just $1,000. Everything you do, you go through the body. This earns them respect, we are not respected because we didn’t team up and don’t fight as a body.

So are you saying this G9 is going to be like a game changer for the rebranding of ANLCA?

It’s not just about rebranding ANLCA, we have to retool the entire system. Our role as board of trustees is to advise not to be at the forefront like the NECOM (National Executive Committee) who handle the day-to-day activities. But I will tell you, we have to do a total retooling of the entire structure of ANLCA. How do we do it? We have to start by doing research, tell the NECOM this are what members expect it to do if it wants us to move forward. In America, for instance, they affiliated the association with universities for certifications. They offer non-academic courses at the university and provide certifications. At times, they work with members to construct training schools. They certify them. If you want to be a guru in the industry, why not go for a total supply chain logistics certification in the university? Let’s continue to encourage our members to excel and earn respect in society, within the customs service and other agencies.

I understand you are into politics, how do you intend to use your political contacts and connections to advance the cause of the board when the G9 gets elected?

One is help create a name that our future colleagues can recognize as having made meaningful contributions. For example, one of the issues we face is the unclear jurisdiction among various government agencies. On the same product and consignment, multiple organizations claim regulatory authority, each with different rules, and we end up paying multiple fees. What are we actually regulating here? This lack of clarity and coordination is a major problem, and it stems from a lack of unity and a common front among us. To address this, we can leverage my political experience across Nigeria to support the establishment of an institute through the National Assembly. This will help us create a unified front and gain more respect as an organization. Additionally, we must support our association to ensure it thrive beyond the current generation. Too often, firms die with their founders or even when still even alive, because customs service can revoke licenses without consulting anybody. Who does that? In most places around the world, there is a body that regulates members and makes recommendations to customs authorities. This lack of unity and common purpose is why we’re not more respected.

At this stage, what is your advise to members and voters.

As we approach our 70th anniversary, it’s clear we need to inject new energy and ideas into our leadership to support and advise NECOM on the right path forward.