The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has petitioned the Honourable Minister of Transport debunking what it called the subtle attempt by those it called rabble rousers to portray the association as being confrontational to his office.
In a letter addressed to the Honourable Minister of Transport titled,”Re: Communiqué of Concerned Accredited Freight Forwarding Associations (CAFFA)” and copied the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari and twelve others, the National Secretary of ANLCA, Dr. Emmanuel Ogu Oparah noted that the association was constrained to respond to series of verbal and written attacks on ANLCA by persons he said was seeking relevance through what he called an amorphous and unregistered CAFFA for the simple reason that the bundle of lies and half truths being peddled may soon start sounding like truths if not debunked.
Oparah while recalling that ANLCA was the main association in the cargo clearing chain accounting for over 90% of practicing agents across the seaports, terminals, cargo airports and approved border stations across the country however pointed out that it would be a huge joke for any group to believe it could decide on any collection from the clearing agents without putting ANLCA’s position into consideration.
“We emphasize Practicing agents because they are the ONLY ones that are in position of making any payment in the ports and certainly not those who are “approved freight forwarders” only on the basis of associations they registered”.
“When the issue of this collection was brought to the fore, we threw it to our members through the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting where on deliberation, many pointed out the apparent misnomer of embarking on such momentous engagement in the absence of a substantive Governing Council to which Act 16 of 2007 vested the powers of running the CRFFN. Consequently, the ANLCA NEC decided to constitute a committee to look into the matter liaising with all relevant interests so as to advise the association on the best course of action”.
“Unfortunately, ever since the said NEC meeting, ANLCA has been at the receiving end of barrage of insidious attacks by the leaders of the other associations in what appears to be venting of unwarranted anger, perhaps out of frustration of seeing their opportunity of collecting money fizzling out before them. They have even made up a story concerning a general refusal/resistance by agents to pay the proposed fees at Seme border to be employment of thugs by the Seme chapter chairman of ANLCA against CRFFN officials”.
“Honourable Minister Sir, it beats us hollow why these so-called associations have chosen to be crying more than the bereaved. Could it be that the only interest they have in the operating of CRFFN is the share of revenue they are expecting from the proposed collection of port operating dues/practicing fees?” he queried.
On what he called the erroneous impression being created that ANLCA was challenging the Minister’s Ministerial authority by harping unnecessarily on Section 5(1) of the CRFFN Act, the ANLCA Scribe noted that the association believed that the Honourabloe Minister might not have been properly advised since Section 5(2) of the same Act clearly defined the procedure to be followed by the Honourable Minister in exercising the provisions of Section 5(1) of the CRFFN Act.
He continued,” In the present circumstance, it is clear that there is no Council to whom any direction is being issued since the Management staff of CRFFN cannot substitute for the Governing Council. Besides, a clarification sought by a representative of another association came to our attention in form of a letter from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation which amply buttressed our position such initiatives taken in absence of a Governing Council reeks of illegality”.
“With regard to their subtle suggestion of “allocating” slots to various associations in the composition of the Governing Council, we are quite confident that you should not be swayed by such primordial sentiments since the Act clearly stipulates that representatives of freight forwarders shall be ELECTED from amongst them”.
While assuring the Minister of the associations’ highest regards, Dr. Oparah pledged that ANLCA would cooperate with any initiative aimed at improving the operational standards of the freight forwarding and reaping the full benefits of the noble intentions of the CRFFN act 16 of 2007.
