Following the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi’s directive to the licensed customs agents to resolve their differences with the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) within two weeks or face fresh registration with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the leadership of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has paid a familiarization visit to the Minister of Transportation at Abuja.
The visit which took place last Friday according to the press release issued on Saturday by the Senior Special Assistant Media to ANLCA President, Joe Sani was led by the ANLCA President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu and accompanied by the immediate past President of ANLCA, Chief Ernest Elochukwu, Chairman Board of Trustees (BoT) ANLCA, Chief Henry Njoku, Zonal Coordinator West, Sir John Oforbuike and the Chairman, Association’s Electoral Commission (ASECO), Alhaji abdulazeez Babatunde Mukaila.
Others are the National Vice President of ANLCA, Emenike Nwokeoji, National Secretary, Dr. Emmanuel Ogu Oparah and former Vice Chairman Onne Chapter, Chief Ambrose Nwuzi.
Sani disclosed that ANLCA team on entering the Minister’s office contradicted the impression the Minister was given about the association prompting the Minister to quip that, “you people don’t look like clearing agents”, a comment which he said which left the members of the entourage with a big laughter as they settled down for the day’s meeting.
He informed that the immediate past President of ANLCA, Chief Ernest Elochukwu set the ball rolling with a tacit the historical evolution of ANLCA and its relationship with CRFFN, impressing it upon the minister that majority of the number of seats allotted to clearing agents in the governing councils, by the act setting up CRFFN, was contested for, and won by ANLCA members in the immediate past governing council of CRFFN.
The SSA Media further said that the BOT Chairman, Chief Henry Njoku corroborated the narration of Chief Elochukwu taking a step further to inform the Minister that the pioneer members of CRFFN’s governing council were and still are members of ANLCA.
According to him,” The pioneer and subsisting updated register of corporate, individual membership and associations was shown to the Honourable Minister, who was surprised at the wrong impression given to him that ANLCA members were not registered with CRFFN. The Minister also heard that ANLCA is a member of the International Federation of Customs Brokers (IFCBA), which is also a member of the World Customs Brokers Organization (WCBO) and that the National President and the Chairman, BOT are directors of the Board of IFCBA
“The Minster was also informed that ANLCA operates a constitution that guides the conduct of its membership. ANLCA, he also heard, is a democratic, voluntary organization and that elections into offices are conducted as and when due. This is unlike what happens in other associations, whose leaders occupy positions in perpetuity.
“A follow up meeting was scheduled by the Minister immediately as he directed the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary to arrange a meeting with the parties involved in the CRFFN matter, on Tuesday, 8th March, 2016 at 4pm.
“The Honourable Minister was conferred with the Patronship of ANLCA, in accordance with Section 20 (c) of the Supreme constitution of ANLCA, and was so decorated by the Chairman, BOT – Chief Henry Njoku. This was immediately followed by formally inducting the Minster as a Honourary member of ANLCA by the National President, as he decorated him with the ANLCA broach, plus an IFCBA booklet given to him as a gift”.
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