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‘Experience, Dedication, Integrity Essential In Board Politics’ – Azeez

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4 months ago

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BY EGUONO ODJEGBA 
A member of the group of 9 like-minds contesting the Board of Trustees (BoT) membership ticket of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents ( ANLCA), Dayo Azeez, has said important credentials voters usually looked for when electing people into board of organisations is experience and integrity, both of which he says he possess.
He explained his decision to re-contest membership of the BoT is motivated by his desire to sustain and deepen the unity and peace in ANLCA, based on his track record of board experience; noting that progress and development of the association can only be guaranteed through quality vote.
A member of the immediate past BoT, Azeez alongside four other colleagues in the board fought and  defended the association against  attacks and threats aimed at destroying the association by power mongers.
Speaking in a chat with journalists in Lagos on Monday, Azeez, also a former Vice President of ANLCA and the Managing Director of Mambillah Shipping Ltd said he has the wealth of experience and understanding of the association, which he believes will enable him help members address operational challenges in cargo clearance at the port. 
Azeez who also own other businesses across sectors said he has what it takes to join forces with other elected board members to improve the lot of the association members, including pushing for a simplified clearance procedures. 
His words: “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 national executive committee (NECOM) to meet with Customs management and the board  to look at the issues. 
“Those days, we use to have long rooms but now they call it CPC and mostly every job go 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 documents that the customs gives to us that we with. So in a nutshell, we want to simplify the clearance procedure to make it easier for clearing agents and our members. That is one of my agenda, which is part of the agenda of the 9-like-minds.
“Another reason I’m contesting is to deepen the unity of members of the association. We don’t want to have any division in the association, and that will start with the chapters election of the association. It must be transparent.And anybody that is not qualified is not qualified there will be no sentiment attached to it. So that when there is an election and a winner emerges, 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 such election.”
Stressing the importance of indigenizing the clearing profession to enhance national security, Azeez said if elected, he and other BoT members would liaise with customs to ensure that the practice is standardized and operate on global best practice that allows only Nigerians to engage in the clearance of goods.
He lamented that non indigenization of the clearing profession has created room for clearance of offensive and dangerous imports, often traceable to connivance between shipping companies and foreigners.
“Most importantly, we will liaise with the management of customs to indigenize the clearing profession.  Now, we see a lot of foreigners coming to do clearing job even though they will get a Nigerian as a director but that is not enough for national security because it is the expatriates that ship the goods and the foreign clearing firm will be the one to clear it. 
“In the course of that, there could be connivance  between the shipper and the clearing agents.
But if the clearing profession is indigenized,  that will mean only Nigerians can clear goods, and that will further promote national security”, he said.
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