BY GBOGBOWA GBOWA
Amid worries that the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, election slated for July 2023 may not hold, stakeholders and leading members of the association have advocated steps necessary to achieve enduring peace and to also promote the integrity of the forthcoming election.
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It will be recalled that part of the present lacuna has been the inability of the Board of Trustees, BoT, and the National Executive Committee, NECOM, to come to agreement on certain knotty areas which hitherto included the license verification of members as perquisite qualification for the election, which the NECOM has contested, saying the BoT has no justification to subject the Association Electoral Committee, ASECO, appointed by it, NECOM, to screening.
The disagreement resulted a controversial National Executive Council, NEC Meeting last week organized by NECOM, but which ended in fiasco, as members engaged the organizers and their supporters in a heated long drawn battle which aborted the meeting; resulting a fresh stalemate.
A chieftain of the association, Enekwechi Raymond Onyimba has said until and unless interested persons from the South West Zone respect the existing rotational power arrangement that makes the 2023 presidential election the preserve of members of the Eastern Zone, there will be no way forward.
He therefore called on well meaning members of ANLCA, elders and former leaders to prevail on Dr. Kayode Colins Farinto, who is contesting the presidential ticket, and believed to be heating up the process to step down; noting that it is the single, decisive action that will resolve the political debacle.
Oyinba in a statement titled ‘Very Simple Solution To ANLCA Political Debacle’ said, “MR FARINTO KAYODE SHOULD STEP DOWN AS EARLIER SUGGESTED BY THE BOT, since it is not the turn of Western Zone.”
It will be recalled that the BoT in a bid to find lasting solution to the association’s crisis, recently proposed that Farinto should give up his ambition, with a promise to rally support for his becoming president at the expiration of the tenure of the Igbo which will end with the election in question. There are reports that after Farinto agreed to the proposal, he later reneged.
According to Oyinba, BoT should reconstitute ASECO and recommence the sales of presidential nomination forms to give room to any interested Igbo member who may wish to contest the ticket.
“RECONSTITUTE ASECO AND OPEN SALES OF NOMINATION FORMS TO ENABLE INTERESTED PERSONS FROM EASTERN PORTS THAT WANTS TO COMPETE WITH EMENIKE TO BUY FORMS.”
He also broached the issue of venue for the election, saying it is the turn of the South West to host.
“Election will be conducted in Lagos and not elsewhere”, adding “Successful candidates in the election will heal the association and set it in motion where those genuinely searching for peace will see peace, simple. If this is done, every other thing will be added in the process”, he enthused.
Contributing, the Oodua Logistics Association, otherwise popularly known as the Oodua Maritime Forum has charged stakeholders in the ANLCA family to submit themselves to the rules of engagement as outlined in the association’s constitutional provisions for the conduct of the election.
The Oodua Maritime Forum National President, Chief Aroba Oye Ariyo in a letter addressed to the Chairman, Board of Trustees, BoT, which was sighted by our reporter, warned that the group will not allow interested parties, no matter how highly placed or connected, whether as contestant, umpire, voter or supporter, act contrary to the dictate of the electoral laws as enshrined in ASECO, and as duly constituted by the BoT.
The letter titled OBSERVATION/EXPRESSION ON ANLCA 2023 NATIONAL ELECTION written on June 26, 2023, the Oodua Maritime Forum observed that for equity, fairness and objectivity, the 2023 election should be held in the South West Zone since all previous elections have been done in the South East Zone.
The group further observed that anything shot of the due process and transparency in the forthcoming election will not be supported and allowed by it.
The letter reads: “We hereby formally bring to your attention our observation and way forward on ANLCA come 2023 National Election as follows:
- ANLCA Election scheduled to hold in July 2023 must be conducted and contested strictly according to the provision of the constitution of the Association and the Association Electoral Committee’s guidelines as it is. We shall vehemently see any of such plans (been twisted) as a ploy to rig the elections in favour of some candidates.
- The appointment of members of the Association Electoral Committee, ASECO, must be strictly done in line with set standards. They must have current license with no exceptions.
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Emenike and his team with the leadership of Nigeria Customs Service at the headquarters, during his campaign tour and courtesy visits to strategic stakeholders
- The BOT of the Association saddled with the responsibility to supervise the elections must be currently licensed by customs as well.
- We vehemently oppose the notion of taking this 2023 elections to the East as several previous elections were held in the East. Hence, we urge Association Electoral Committee to consider Lagos or any other part in West for NECOM elections to enable larger participants by voters and members.
“While we pledge our full support and readiness to ensure smooth election process, the above demands are necessity so as to prevent any unwanted situation in the entire process”, he opined.
Meanwhile a number of stakeholders who have aligned with the position of the Oodua Maritime Forum even as they urged ANLCA members to unite against every divisive forces intent on deploying tactics and or actions that are not in keeping with the interests of the association, the electoral guidelines or the constitution of the association, as a whole.
This is even as others have called on the Chairman of the BoT, Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha and his members to be alive to their responsibility and to firm charge by ensuring that ASECO respects the rules of engagement in line with the dictates of the electoral guidelines and laws of the association.
Reacting to the Oodua Maritime Forum letter, a chieftain of the association who does not want his name in print said, “The oracle have spoken, we are now waiting for the next line of action from the board.”
Also lending his views on ANLCA’s protracted leadership crisis, an industry cerebral, unapologetic and outspoken stakeholder, Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM, CDOA joined the call for Farinto to show the spirit of sportsmanship by excusing himself from the presidential contest, and focus on future contributions.
Opara observed that what is immediately required is the urgent restoration of the association.
In a statement titled ‘ANLCA: What Is Needed Now Is Restoration, The Farinto Factor Is Futuristic’, he said:
“The Association of Nigerian Licenced Customs Agents(ANLCA) have been enmeshed in needless ego driven crisis for the past five years, which polarized the once vibrant and respected foremost association of companies licenced by the Nigeria Customs Service into two factions and led to the lost of millions of naira spent on legal services, monies that would have ensured a well funded research unit, a robust welfare package, etc.
“The Governing Board of the Council For The Regulation Of Freight Forwarding In Nigeria (CRFFN) engineered a rickety peace accord in the association recently and for reason yet to be deciphered by critical observers, CRFFN and ANLCA leaderships decided to start the rebuilding process from the top and a National Executive Committee (NECOM) election was scheduled for the 5th of July, 2023 at a venue yet to be announced.”
He explained that given the manifestos of both presidential contestants, Farinto and Nwokeoji, there is a popular belief that the latter is better positioned to rescue and rebuild ANLCA, and therefore should be supported to bail out the association.
“Nwokeoji was the Vice-president in the administration preceding the present administration in which Farinto is also Vice-president. Nwokeoji anchors his campaign on “restoration”, while the theme of Farinto’s campaign favours a paradigm shift from the old to the young.
“Nwokeoji, who is most likely in his late 60s or early 70s represents the moderate wing of ANLCA which believes in diplomatic engagements with officialdom to get positive results. Nwokeoji’s moderate disposition would be an asset in the immediate task of restoring all that needs to be restored in an organization that is coming out of a lengthy crisis.
“Farinto, most likely in his 50s, on the other hand represents the radical wing of ANLCA, although sometimes, he slips into far right populism. His disposition however often favours using legitimate pressures to force the hands of officialdom to do the right things.“ANLCA as a body needs both Nwokeoji and Farinto, but while the body needs restoration now which the Nwokeoji candidacy promises, the body should also preserve the Farinto factor, which is futuristic and which would be of utmost importance in the nearest future when restoration must have taken place and there would now be need for the body to take up its responsibility as a legitimate pressure group.”