ANLCA 2025 Election: Allegations of Fake Licenses Trail Thursday Exercise

BY GBOGBOWA GBOWA

Less than twelve hours to the chapter elections of the werstern zone of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) billed to hold tomorrow, Thursday 20th February 2025 at the Federal Palace Hotel Lagos, concerned members have raised alarm over the possession of compromised and or fake practicing licenses that has been procured to contest the election.

Sources which does not wish to be identified told our reporter there are three such questionable licenses, out of which two is purportedly been held by contestants at the Apapa Chapter of the Western Zone of ANLCA.

The sources said that whereas petitions over the questionable licenses were written to the Board of Trustees (BoT), the Association Electoral Committee (ASECO) and the National Executive Committee (NECOM), they claimed that the above relevant authorities have failed to take action, and further alleged a ‘sweeping under the carpet’ of the petition by the various organs of authority in the association.

One of the complainants in his narrative said the following:

“Three people with unpaid customs assessment have been parading customs operating licenses for the purpose of the ongoing election. How they got the licenses is suspicious because it is a known fact that once you are having an unpaid assessment, the Nigeria Customs Service will not renew your license, until you pay.

“Even if you have unutilized PAAR, Customs will not renew your license until it is utilized or you provide convincing reasons why Nigeria Customs Service should cancel the PAAR”, he said.

According to a copy of the petition sighted by our reporter, an Apapa chapter chairmanship aspirant who is one of the three customs agents accused  of the Oluwole license, was said to have compromised the power that be; hence he and the other accused persons are being cleared for the election.

Lamenting that if these candidates are allowed to take part in the election, the integrity of the association would further have been dragged aground, and appealed to the BoT and the ASECO in particular to be upright and to allow only contestants with clean licenses to participate in the election.

“Out of this three suspects, two are from Apapa Chapter and we have submitted petitions to the BoT, NECOM and ASECO. Unfortunately, the relevant authorities have decided to sweep the petition under the carpet.

“ASECO said they have gone for verification at Customs Headquarters to confirm that the licenses are genuine. As I speak with you l am sure they didn’t go anywhere and if it is true that they went to customs headquarters, then, they must have cut corners through illegal collaboration, and therefore the licenses cannot be genuine. They must be compromised licenses.”

Asked why he so believed, he said “The Apapa chapter chairmanship contestant has unpaid assessment of over N25 million. It is in the petition, you can look at it. So if you have unutilized PAAR, Customs will not renew your license, it is the standard procedure. So, we are begging ASECO and the Board to do what is right by disqualifying them or anyone found to be parading suspicious licenses.”

Although attempt to cross check with the ASECO Chairman, Mr. Obiora Elochukwu failed as he did not pick our reporter’s phone calls, the BoT Chairman, Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha dismissed the allegation that the board and the election umpire refused to take action.

“It is not true that we are trying to sweep the matter under the carpet. The petition they are talking about was submitted just few days ago. Under the circumstances, we still communicated with the Nigeria and they promised to profile the suspected licenses by way of determining their genuineness or not.

“In everything we do, we must put ourselves in the place of the other person, will it be fair to disgualify any contestant based on mere suspicion? L don’t think that is right, and since the election date is tomorrow, those ASECO clear will contest.”

Asked what happens if NCS say any of the suspicious licenses is actually fake, Mustapha said it will empower ASECO to do the needful.

“If customs fault any of the licenses and its owner already wins tomorrow election, such victory will be overturned based on the new findings.”

Also reacting, the Apapa Chapter chairmanship aspirant, Mr. Emeka Chukwumalu dismissed the allegation as the handiwork of customs ports hustlers.

He said “they are kelebes in the port premises, they dontb have bill ladens to clear goods. Customs can never allow any person with infranctions to operate in any command.”