HOW INSINCERITY, DISHONESTY & ARROGANCE ESCALATED ANLCA CRISIS UNNECESSARILY, ALMOST BEYOND REDEMPTION

ANLCA current crisis began with the Board of Trustees (BOT) internal election on the night of Friday, 13th April 2018 (some say, way before then) in the then Golden Tulip Hotel, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos room of the then Chairman of the BOT – Chief Henry Ifeanyichukwu Njoku. The results of the election was 5 to 3, in favor of Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha, as the new Chairman of the ANLCA Board.

What should have ordinarily been an internal affair of the BOT and taken in its strides, became a source of verbal warfare between members of the contending forces within the Board.

Shameful as it sounds, there were some secret underlying reasons for forcing that crisis into existence, and it, assumed a life of its own.

The undersigned recalled on the 14th of April 2018 – that is the day of the inauguration of the National Executive Committee (NECOM) elected on the 8th of March 2018 in Enugu – when the

then newly elected Chairman of the BOT – Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha, met me at the Hotel’s lobby and asked: “What is in the Chairmanship of this BOT that is generating so much rancor between

members of the Board”?

As it was later known, some person has used the position to curry favors from stakeholders and installed favored members of ANLCA in positions in all chapters in the Eastern Zone and some in the West and North. That was the power the then Board Chairman wielded indiscriminately, to the extent that the Chairman of the BOT became an alternate Executive National President.

That was the genesis of attempts at tinkering with provisions of the Supreme Constitution of ANLCA 2008 (as amended). That attempt got shot down by the then Board Chairman – Chief

Henry Njoku at a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Port Harcourt in November 2012.

Fast forward to the remote causes of the unnecessary ANLCA crisis. It will immediately be discovered that the arrogant and senseless response to a purely BOT matter by the then NP,

escalated an otherwise simple issue. By his pronouncement that he supports and recognizes Henry Njoku’s 3 against Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha’s 5, ignited the flame that has engulfed ANLCA since the 13th of April 2018. No remorse on his side till date.

THE 5 RESOLUTE ANLCA BOARD MEMBERS: Prince Taiye Oyeniyi, Chief Dennis Okafor, Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha, Chief Ernest Elochukwu and Dayo Azeez at a general meeting of Western Zone in November 2020 at Villa Park Hotel, Amuwo Odofin.

Till date, the then NP of ANLCA has refused to recognize Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha as the elected

BOT Chairman.

This led him to connive with Chief Peter Obih and Henry Njoku to institute a court case –

FHC/L/CS/1274/2018 – seeking to declare Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha and 4 others as non-members

of the BOT, since they were not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), after

their elections in Warri on the 13th of February 2014.

They completely forgot that, like the ostrich, burying its head in the sand, exposed its entire body.

The judgment delivered in the selfish Suit No. FHC/L/CS/1274/2018 filed by Chief Peter Oge Obih, on behalf of Henry and Tony, unexpectedly and fatally too, injured them also, as Justice Rilwan M. Aikawa declared that since all members of the BOT elected on the 13/2/2014 in Warriwere not registered at the CAC, its existence is inchoate, null, void and of no legal effect.

With the privilege of hindsight, thank God that Henry did not agree to step down, after he was defeated as Chairman of the BOT on the 13/4/2018 in the Golden Tulip Hotel room of Chief Henry Njoku himself.

If he has agreed, most of the sordid and documentary manipulations revealed thereafter, would have remained unknown to many members of ANLCA, the general public, and especially the Maritime Press.

On the 16th of April 2018, Chiefs Henry Njoku and Peter Obih forged a letter and forwarded it to the CAC to caveat ANLCA’s file, preventing any access to it. This blew open in the process of

registering the BOT members, towards the end of 2019.

Legally and technically speaking, between the year 2008 and early 2020, ANLCA was not in existence. This is because, none of the BOT members, then led by Henry Njoku between 2008

and 2014, when the current BOT were elected in Warri on the 13/2/2014, were actually registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). So, they just carried on without legal basis.

The last (2001) known BOT registered members were led by Chief J. O.K. Idornigie, and until the recent BOT’s registration in January 2020, which incidentally carries the names of Henry Njoku, Peter Obih and late Aare Sanni Shittu, who have been doing everything within their limited space to destroy ANLCA, there was no other between 2001 & 2020, an almost two decades of a non-existent legal association called ANLCA.

Fundamentally, legally and foundationally, the judgment of Justice Rilwan Aikawa, delivered on

the 11th of October 2019 in Suit # FHC/L/CS/1274/2018, which was selfishly instituted to undo

those that voted out Henry as chairman of BOT, effectively killed ANLCA, because the basis of its existence – the BOT – was declared null, void, illegal and inchoate, since it was not registered with the CAC after the Warri elections, and therefore, not known to law.

That judgment till date has not been challenged by both parties or vacated. Meantime, everyone and every organ of governance affected by that judgment, except the 5 BOT members directly affected, carried on triumphally, as if the events and activities conducted by the BOT declared inchoate, did not involve them.

While one party went into wild jubilation of putting the 5 resolute BOT members in check, the five BOT members went ahead to perfect their registration with CAC, which, as stated herein,

contained the names of those who, ab initio never wished them well.

The last (2001) known BOT registered members were led by Chief J. O.K. Idornigie, and until the recent BOT’s registration in January 2020, which incidentally carries the names of Henry Njoku, Peter Obih and late Aare Sanni Shittu, who have been doing everything within their limited space to destroy ANLCA, there was no other between 2001 & 2020, an almost two decades of a non-existent legal association called ANLCA.

Fundamentally, legally and foundationally, the judgment of Justice Rilwan Aikawa, delivered on the 11th of October 2019 in Suit FHC/L/CS/1274/2018, which was selfishly instituted to undo those that voted out Henry as chairman of BOT, effectively killed ANLCA, because the basis of its existence – the BOT – was declared null, void, illegal and inchoate, since it was not registered with the CAC after the Warri elections, and therefore, not known to law.

That judgment till date has not been challenged by both parties or vacated. Meantime, everyone and every organ of governance affected by that judgment, except the 5 BOT members directly affected, carried on triumphally, as if the events and activities conducted by the BOT declared inchoate, did not involve them.

While one party went into wild jubilation of putting the 5 resolute BOT members in check, the five BOT members went ahead to perfect their registration with CAC, which, as stated herein,

contained the names of those who, ab initio never wished them well.

Unfortunately for those who pretend to be educated and enlightened enough to comprehend simple English language and therefore, the essence of that declarative judgment by Justice

Aikawa on the 11/10/2019, continued in their macabre dance in the public, thinking that they were performing uncommonly. Unfortunately, they were dancing naked in the public. Now,

their nakedness has become a permanent feature in the public’s mind.

They have ridden roughshod over some gullible members, especially those in the Eastern Zone, to the extent that the undersigned had to ask at some point, whether any member of ANLCA in

that Zone has some thinking gumption. It turned out that they were all brow-bitten, hypnotized to submission, by some “fearsome” forces. All of them lack collective balls like their Western Zone colleagues.

The resoluteness of the five BOT members, despite intimidations, deployment of tribal and religious sentiments to cow them, and the numerical and fierce support by Western Zone Chapters (except MMIA chapter) members, the BOT has been able to, so far, through over three years, navigate ANLCA through thick and thin to an almost safe Port-Terminal, whence

the restructuring and repositioning of ANLCA will take root.

Assurances of this is, on the 26th of August 2020, barely 10 months after his groundbreaking

judgment, Justice R. M. Aikawa coincidentally, restrained all of us elected at the National Executive Committee (NECOM) elections held in Enugu on the 8th of March 2018, from

parading ourselves as National Officers of ANLCA, pending the determination of the Motion on Notice.

Despite this very clear order, which also till date has not been challenged or vacated, they have stubbornly and arrogantly continued to remain in the National Secretariat, to purportedly be

performing national assignments as national officers of ANLCA.

They continued with impunity, to viciously violate the Justice Aikawa’s order every day, every week, every month and every year till date, as if oblivious of the fact that TRUTH, in matters like

this, remain sacrosant and that nemesis will soon catch up with them.

All attempts, several of them between 2018 and the recent one by Justice D. M. Osiagor, to settle our differences amicably, for the benefits of our already demoralized members, fell on their preferably deaf ears and dumb brains.

Sometime in January 2020, “someone” was quoted as saying he would be the last NP of ANLCA, and ANLCA will cease to exist after him. Since that statement was made to the hearing of some

eminent members of ANLCA who are ready to be witnesses any day, anytime, this “someone” hasn’t withdrawn the statement, neither has he denied it.

Infact, he has gone ahead to integrate ANLCA, as it now seems, with a sister association, which is also, since over two decades ago, has been trying so hard, albeit unsuccessfully so far, to

obliterate the name of ANLCA from the face of Maritime industry. Wishful thinking.

I have got bad news for these enemies of ANLCA – ANLCA is bouncing back fully to reckoning next year, by the special grace of God Almighty. Amen,

As we await the next adjourned date of Suit No. FHC/L/CS/921/2020 on the Ninth of February Twenty Twenty-Two, it is the fervent hope of the BOT that the ANLCA’s unnecessary crisis, shall

soon come to an end, for its membership to pick up the pieces and move on back to its preeminent status as the numero-uno Customs licensed Brokers Association.

Joe Sanni is the court suspended NPS and current Media Adviser to ANLCA