The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has faulted a news report which referred to Mr. Francis Omotosho as its chieftain saying that it was wrong for someone who is not a licensed customs agent and by extension a member of the association to be addressed as its chieftain.
It will be recalled that a medium (not Primetime Reporters) on Monday titled one of its publications thus “ANLCA crisis deepens as top Chieftain defects to NAGAFF”, where it posited that Omotosho Francis, a top member of ANLCA and Director of Planning and Research had dumped the association to join the National Association of Government approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF).
Reacting, the Senior Special Assistant Media to the National President of ANLCA, Mr. Val Iwuchukwu in a statement in Lagos yesterday disclosed that there was no office designated as Director of Planning and Research in the National Secretariat of ANLCA presently.
Iwuchukwu however recalled that the immediate past President of ANLCA, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, in his wisdom once employed the Mr. Francis Omotosho as a technical support staff during his tenure adding that the present administration did not find the office necessary as the gentleman did not add any value to the previous administration.
He added that a check into ANLCA’s record showed clearly that one Omotosho Francis Idowu was never licensed as Customs agent and that he was not at any time the Managing Director, General Manager or Chief Executive Officer of a licensed company and that his company, if any, was not authorised to operate as a customs agent as he merely attached himself with different licensed companies at various times.
“One wonders, if not mischief, why someone whose company is not licensed and as such not a member of ANLCA in the strictest sense can be described as a top Chieftain of ANLCA.
“Our records also showed that at one time, the former Treasurer of ANLCA, Alhaji Bojuri Akinsola Hamzat employed him as a personal staff. Last October, he smartly leveraged on that and collected form to contest election with the intention to represent ANLCA in the Board of CRFFN, but he failed to get the approval/clearance of ANLCA leadership because he is not qualified. Since last October, shortly after failure to realize his ambition through the back door, Mr. Omotosho took it personal and engaged in mudslinging of the person of the National President and his NECOM.
“It is unfortunate that the reporter did not contact leadership of ANLCA for their side of the story before coming out with grossly misrepresented and sensational headlines.
“Recently, we read that the multi-million naira ANLCA Secretariat in Seme Border has been left to rotten. Soon after, we heard from the same source that Dikko Inde House, the ANLCA National Secretariat is up for sale. These are lies from the bottom of hell, emanating from the same uninformed and mischievous source – Francis Omotsho and his pay masters.
“Great professionals should be rest assured that the National President will remain presidential, undistracted and focused. He will not join issues with those that want to distract him and will not stop and throw stone to any dog that barks.
“NECOM is poised to deliver quality leadership ANLCA deserve and will continue to work hard to achieve success no matter how long or rough the road might be”, he said.
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