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Adewusi Stands Suspended, We Await His Threats To Open Cans of Worm’ – NECOM

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6 months ago

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BY GBOGBOWA GBOWA 
The Office of National President (ONP) of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has said the suspension given to the court sacked chairman of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) chapter Lagos, Prince Bamgbala Adewusi and two others remains in force, noting that the suspension followed the due process and hence cannot be controverted.
While the ONP described Adewusi and his co-travelers  response to their suspension as uncouth, diversionary and disrespectful, it urged the trio to go ahead and open the cans of worn they have against the National Executive Committee (NECOM), noting that Adewusi is living on borrowed time through reckless bravado and  unacceptable antics to continue his illegal stay in office.
The ONP also described his accusation that he was being persecuted because he refused to join the then Western Zone in fighting the immediate past NP, Iju Tony Nwabuinike as evidence of manifest emptiness in his ability to convincingly respond to the actions taken against him.
It will be recalled thatAdewusi and two members of his management team were suspended indefinitely by the NECOM following their failure to honour the invitation of a Disciplinary Committee the NECOM set up to investigate the allegation of N25million embezzlement leveled against them. 
Findings show that only the Secretary of the MMIA Chapter showed up at the 6-man committee which includes the Vice President, Prince Segun Oduntan and the immediate past Sole Administrator, Alhaji Abdulazeez Mukaila, to defend himself.
Adewusi yesterday while reacting to his suspension in an interview he granted an online newspaper disputed the suspension and accused NECOM of witch hunt for purportedly refusing to join in his words, the Western Zone, to fight Iju Tony Nwabunike, ANLCA’s immediate past national president.
The newspaper report quoted him as saying the following:
“When the letter came, they said we are owing N14million, but we made it known to them that we are not owing them a dime, the NECOM is the one owing us, we erected perimeter fencing at our secretariat here and the former NECOM is owing us, but we decided not to write the new NECOM because they just came in.
“Later, we got a letter than we have been suspended for misappropriation of N25 million, can we misappropriate our own personal money? We didn’t give you any budget that could warrant you issuing us money, we have not been investigated by anybody.
“When they wrote us for a meeting of the disciplinary committee, our lawyer wrote back that we are already in court and their is an order that we should not tamper with anything that has to do with this office.
“Apart from that, nobody has ever called us, however I saw an interview granted by a member of the disciplinary committee; Alhaji Babatunde Mukaila where he said that there was no seating of the disciplinary committee and that no one was suspended.
“What the NECOM is doing is witch-hunting, and that’s the way I see it.
But as for today, despite all their witch-hunting, I still remain the chairman of MMA Chapter of ANLCA.
“All our executives are intact, nobody wrote any report from here to the national secretariat about any trouble, there was no audit, no investigation, so it is coming to us as a surprise when we heard that we are being suspended” Adewusi stated.”
However, sources within the ONP stoutly faulted Adewusi’s position as defective and shadow chasing.

“Latching on to Iju Nwabunike is a failed attempt to exculpate himself of the charge leveled against him because there is no connection.

“Een if he is sparingly educated, one expects that at his level he should be able to advance convincing argument to protest his suspension or else, take it in good stride and show sportsmanship. Is it not shameful that he is bringing in Iju? Is this NECOM  the former Western Zone? Did any member of this NECOM drag anything with Iju during his administration? So you can see how spurious his defence is.

“The subject matter is indiscipline and insurbordination in the face of criminal charge. Allegations of embezzlement was leveled against you and the NECOM sets up a panel to investigate and you refused to submit yourself for questioning.

“Are you bigger than the national executive or is he suggesting that as member of ANLCA and chapter chairman he has no allegiance to NECOM?
“If that is what Adewusi is saying then let him know that he got into that office through the instrumentality of the NECOM and that the national body makes no pretension about the fact that he is answerable to it.
“Look the facts of the matter is crystal clear, having failed to avail himself of the opportunity to defend himself against allegations of stealing, he must accept the outcome of his decision. MMIA chapter is a unit of ANLCA and ANLCA is not a banana republic where people act as they like, there are laws and consequences.
“ANLCA has taken a position and this position is irrevocable because it is built on the rule of law, fairness and justice. He (Adewusi) can only delay by exploiting the lacuna in our justice system and through other extraneous means, but the fact of his suspicion is not controverted, the law will take it’s course.
“The report says Alhaji Abdulazeez Mukaila said somewhere that there was no disciplinary committee in place and no sitting, well, let me shock you, Mukaila is a member of the committee and for good reasons. If what was credited to him is true, he is being economical with the truth.
“In any case, what did you expect? Who smuggled Adewusi into office under the Iju administration that Adewusi is now using as a porous defence? We believe that Mukaila was misquoted because the truth will always prevail.”
Continuing the aide of the NP who does not want to be named because he was not authorized to speak said:
“The Secretary of the chapter appeared before the disciplinary committee to defend and absolve himself of the allegations of embezzlement. Let me give you another shocker, Adewusi through his lawyer wrote to the disciplinary committee to seek permission to be excused from the committee’s sitting on May 21, 2024, but  subsequently refused to show up. This NECOM will not condone such gross insurbordination especially so under serious matters of financial improprieties.
“He has taken for granted  the president’s peaceful disposition and it is unfortunate those drowning with him are doing same.
Mr. President is only first amongst equals, Mr. Nwokeoji is only the leader of NECOM and not the owner, so let’s make the distinction to foreclose the lazy assumption that it is Emenike Nwokeoji that has suspended this disrespectful members. Such narrative is intended to attract unqualified sympathy, Adewusi should wake up and face reality.
“There was also another funny angle where he said the chapter fund is his money, well we wish him well. As a journalist you understand the enormity of such barefaced claim. He is free to twist as much as he wish, the missing N25 million part of which he said he used for constructing a fence must be accounted for. That is a capital project, he has to show proof of the contract award and the clearance by NECOM to undertake the project.
“When he threatened to sue ANLCA for alleged defamation of his character because NECOM queried him to explain the whereabout of the money which was referenced in in his suspension letter, we await his summon.
“Like l said earlier, Adewusi and the others are only buying time but destroying their credibility, ultimately. Only fools fights the finger that feeds them, he got to the chapter chairmanship position through NECOM, if he is saying that the same NECOM cannot or do not have the authority to oversee his actions in that office, he must be lying to himself.
“Order and discipline has returned to ANLCA and he cannot wish this away, he is being hunted by his own actions, this NECOM is a serious and responsible one and has no reason to witch hunt anybody.  Those clapping for him presently are not doing him any good, he should look inward and show respect.”
Meanwhile, correspondences between the embattled former MMIA chapter chairman and NECOM sighted by our reporter show that whereas, Adewusi and his fellow suspended team members engaged severally over the missing money, there are indications that rather than defend himself, he resorted to the use of his legal representation.
In serious organisations members are obliged to answer queries served on them.
More so where a disciplinary committee such as the one set up by NECOM becomes desirable, members are expected to make personal appearance.
In his own case, Adewusi and co neglected to avail themselves of the committee’s sitting. Having failed in this respect, he is the one now crying blue murder and witch hunt.
Since the NECOM has reinstated it’s resolve not to condone acts of indiscipline or allow itself to be blackmailed any further, it remains to be seen what happens next..
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