The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has set up a 3 member committee to liaise with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) on information gathering and dissemination to members on the activities of the agency.
According to a press release sent this medium by the Senior Special Assistant Media to ANLCA National President, Mr. Joe Sanni, the committee which comprised of Tope Ogungbemile, Pius Ujubuonu and Francis Omotosho were to collect all the requisite information and forms to enable members of ANLCA to begin to take advantage of the ITF Act 2011.
The release quoted the National President of ANLCA, Prince Olayiwola Shittu as emphasizing the need for training and retraining of personnel engaged by licensed Customs Agencies who were also employers of labour.
Prince Shittu according to the release advised ITF to liaise with the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), which by law was mandated to train agents and standardize the practice of clearing and forwarding in Nigeria.
Earlier in her speech, the Director of Revenue, Inspectorate and Compliance of ITF, Mrs. Lola Gbadamosi who led a delegation of the agency on a courtesy visit to ANLCA National Secretariat in Lagos stated that the team was at ANLCA Secretariat to sensitize its membership on the need to enlist their companies in the implementation of the agency’s mandate to ensure compliance, and build the capacity of Staff of Members’ Companies adding that the implication of not doing so carried with it dire consequences, when contravened.
Gbadamosi while emphasizing that ITF training contribution attracts 50% of payment, with evidence of staff training also disclosed that ITF aimed to train 1000 youths per state per year to improve skills and reduce unemployment/crime saying that it was the agency’s wish to acquire mobile training workshops to be stationed in all local government areas in Nigeria.
According to the release,” To avoid running foul of the Act, members were urged to, as a matter of urgency, register with ITF and perform the necessary, statutory duties.
“ITF management, on a visit to Nigeria Customs Service, requesting on how to Incorporate Licensed Customs Agencies, in the drive to actualize its mandate, drew the attention of Licensed Customs brokers to Section 8 of its establishment Act, 2011 which state thus: “All employers who pay their annual training contributions:- (a) Shall, at all times provide adequate training for their indigenous staff with a view to improving on the skills related to their jobs, and evidence of such trainings shall be forwarded to the Council;” etc. The reason for this was as a result of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s realization of the fact that foreigners running businesses in Nigeria, were not prepared to transfer skills to Nigerians.
“So ITF management deemed it appropriate to visit ANLCA National Secretariat on Monday, 21st March 2016, to sensitize its membership on the need to enlist their companies in the implementation of this mandate to ensure compliance, and build the capacity of Staff of Members’ Companies. The implication of not doing so, according to Mrs. Lola Gbadamosi- the Director of Revenue, inspectorate and Compliance, carries dire consequences, when contravened. She emphasized that ITF training contribution attracts 50% of payment, with evidence of staff training”.
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