The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has on Saturday commissioned an electricity transformer donated to it by the Director-General, Standards Orgainzation of Nigeria (SON), Dr. Joseph Odumodu to power its National Secretariat.
Speaking on the sidelines of the commissioning, the National Publicity Secretary of ANLCA, Dr. Kayode Farinto observed that with the installation and subsequent commissioning of the transformer by the National Secretary of the association, Dr. Emmanuel Ogu Oparah, the cost of powering the Secretariat would be drastically reduced.
Farinto noted that prior to the donation of the transformer, the association has three generators which it spent a lot of money to power adding that with the advent of the transformer which he said was a 100 KVA, the Secretariat would not only have power at reduced cost but would give some of the people living around the Secretariat power from the said transformer as one of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CST) as the Secretariat could not consume more than 20 KVA.
According to him, “So, it is going to be one of the Corporate Social Responsibility project of ANLCA because we are going to give it out to some of the people living around this place. It is a 100 KVA, what do we use in the Secretariat? I don’t think we use up to 20 KVA in the Secretariat. So we are going to sublet it, step it down for some people around this place as a Corporate Social Responsibility of ANLCA”.
When asked if the gesture was not a way of bribing the association for it not to interfere in the job of SON, he had this to say,” No, you are making a big mistake. Every agency of government also has corporate social responsibility. So, let us assume that this also is one of their corporate social responsibilities”.
“When he came here, we complained, fortunately, we powered the three generators and they all went off despite the fact that there was enough gas in them. So, we don’t know what happened to the generators and he is the one clearing standards at the port. You know, jokingly we requested, please can you give us a transformer and before you know it, it became a reality”.
“He cannot bribe us, there is no way I see any of his men outside the seaport that I don’t challenge them. We don’t do that in ANLCA, we don’t take bribe”.
On why the National Secretary was the one that commissioned the transformer instead of the National President who statutorily should have done the commissioning, the National Publicity Secretary noted that the President was originally built to commission the project but could not make it to the venue at the last minute.
When probed further to ascertain where or not the news making the round that the President was suspended by the association, he queried,” Who said the President was suspended? Please, that was why I said if you hear any rumour, confirm from me. I just spoke to the President last night; he gave some people assignment to go to Abuja. So, if he is suspended, he will not be delegating powers”.
“And you heard when we had the last NEC meeting, which is the highest body that can suspend the President. We gave you the communiqué and we gave you the outcome of the meeting. So, I don’t know where you are hearing the rumour from. It is one of the beer parlour gists, please take ot as one of the beer parlour gists”.
“If the commissioning of a transformer is an issue now, this is not a big issue. It has been commissioned by the Secretary General who is also a National Officer. So, it is not a big deal”, he said.
