Azeez, ANLCA BoT Aspirant Mulls Group Life Insurance, Health Management Initiatives

BY FUNMI ALUKO

A member of the Nine – Like- Minds, contesting the forthcoming Board of Trustees (BoT) election of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Dayo Azeez has promised to initiate a subsidized group life insurance policy for members if elected into the board.

The former Vice President of ANLCA and the Group CEO of Mambilla Shipping Agency Limited and Mambilla Hotels Limited parades a robust industry and association politics credential; with over three decades experience, having obtained his customs license since 1990.

Intelligent, competent, humble and unassuming, Azeez has held various leadership positions in ANLCA, having served as  Assistant Secretary of Apapa Chapter, Secretary, Apapa Chapter, General Secretary, Western Zone and member of the immediate past BoT.

He brings a whole wealth of experience with him as seeks re- election to the BoT alongside the 9 like-minds.

In a chat with our reporter in Lagos, Azeez said the proposed insurance and health management policy which will vigorously be pursued by both the BoT and NECOM when approved will provide financial support to families of members who die or become incapacitated, lamenting that the stress filled cargo clearance practice requires proper remedial support programmes.

“Some members leave their homes very early in the morning to face the challenges of clearing their cargoes from the ports. During the cause of the stressful operations, some of them collapse and die. Once there is insurance for such members, the family will benefit from the insurance claims. This policy I will pursue for approval by the BoT and NECOM”, he stated.

Azeez also promised to introduce a health management initiative that can partner with neighbourhood clinic to establish a nursing room for members close to the ANLCA national secretariat. The facility, he said, will offer members free health checks to enable them monitor associated health management issues such as blood pressure, diabetes, weight and other health challenges.

He also promised to work with other elected board members to engage customs on the need to simplify clearance procedure to make the process less stressful.

“The cargo clearance procedure now is very cumbersome with Customs issuing different queries here and there. If by the grace of God I’m elected, I and the other BoT members will liaise with the NECOM so that we can meet with customs management and the customs board to look at these issues.

“Those days, we use to have long rooms but now they call it CPC and mostly every job goes to CPC for one query or the other. So we’ll look at it to know where the problem is coming from whether from the importer or customs side because as agents, it is all the shipping documents that the importers gives to us that we will work upon. We want to simplify the clearance procedure to make it easier for the agents; that is one of my agenda.

“Another reason I am contesting is to deepen the unity of members of the association. We don’t want to have any more division in the association. And that will start with the chapters election, it must be transparent and anybody that is not qualified is not qualified; there should be no sentiment attached to it. So that when there is an election and a winner emerge, it will be glaring to everybody that a winner has emerged and there won’t be need going to the court to challenge the outcome of an election”, he said.