…Charges them to be good Ambassadors
The National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Chief Iju Tony Nwabunike yesterday at the National Secretariat of the association inaugurated interim executives for the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos chapter with a charge for them to be good Ambassadors of the association.
Nwabunike who spoke shortly before the inauguration said that the development was necessitated by the creation of a new command from the original Airport command.
According to him, “The Nigeria Customs Service has actually created so many commands and because of the commands, the system of ANLCA which was established since 1954 is that the moment customs establishes any command; we must have a chapter there. So, today, we are talking of 24 chapters of this association.”
On his part, the Vice President of ANLCA, Dr. Kayode Farinto while harping on the importance of being a member of the association, also reminded the appointed executives that it was a privilege for one to be an executive of the association even as he recalled that the aims and objectives of the association were for it to protect the interest of her members who have one challenge or the other.
As he puts it, “If you have a Customs Controller who is stubborn, you can also be stubborn; the most important thing is that you are protecting the interest of your members. Please, International chapter, all eyes are going to be on you. We need to start reading our books, it is important you know the books so that you will be able to know how to defend our members. This constitution that we have here, even when you are inaugurated today as executives, please, know that it is to protect our members, it is to project the image of this association better.
“I know that international chapter is going to expose you to a lot of things, a lot people and a lot of challenges but I also need to remind you that you are being inaugurated today as interim executives, meaning that it is going to last for a period of ninety days and our President has graciously said that we will not allow our interim to drag like the other interims that have been there for one year or two years. As soon as we see that you are on ground, on or before the ninety days, we may conduct election. But the history of ANLCA in that chapter will not be complete if your names are not mentioned today that you are the pioneer executives of that chapter and that is why I am talking to you.
“If you find yourself in leadership position, gentlemen, it is a privilege. There are more than millions of people who can do better but it is your time to shine and that is why we want you to use that position judiciously, use it to project the name of ANLCA better. We will not accept any executive that is circumventing the procedure but I Kayode will associate with an executive that is stubborn for a just cause.
“So, I want you to maintain that tempo. It is not tomorrow, an officer will come and tell you that he is representing presidency, you are a Nigerian and they are Nigerians, let them know that there is rule of engagement and that is why we believe that you are the best of our best in that place. We want to tell you to be good Ambassadors so that we will not regret inaugurating this chapter but I want to also prepare your mind that in the next ninety days, the ASECO will be knocking on your door that they want to conduct an election. If you do well, you can so be returned for a period of three years. I wish you all the best.”
Also speaking, the National Secretary of the association, quoting from the relevant sections of the ANLCA constitution said, “This is ANLCA constitution, this is an association built upon a simple, written agreement, the constitution. If you agree that you want to be and you are a member of this association, this document is binding on you. You do not have your will power to violate this agreement and if you have any issue that warrants you to want to settle a score with either a member of this association or any authority of this association, there is a provision for you to go through a process to show your grievances.
“You are not supposed to resort to self-help or fighting or going to Police or bringing Egbesu or OPC, you are supposed to go through arbitration. It is when all these have broken down and you have gone through all these protocols, of course, you can now approach the court. If anybody goes to court or do anything contrary to these provisions, I will be there to face you squarely at the court and tell you, you are wrong based on this agreement.
“So, what we are about to witness today is in conformity and in agreement with Section 10, that the management team of the Nigeria Customs Service, in their wisdom, decided to split the airport command into two separate commands and as a fledging command and a chapter, a secured port environment, it behooves on the management of ANLCA to respond in kind by establishing the EXCOs. So, the privilege you have today is to be the pioneer executive of the international chapter.”
In his acceptance speech, the Interim Chairman of the Murtala International Airport chapter, Hon. Dr. Olisaemeka Ugwunze expressed his profound happiness at the offer to serve the association in that capacity while pledging to do the job with utmost diligence together with members of his executives.
“Looking forward to your guidance, I know I will do my best, it is a promise. On behalf of myself and my colleagues here, we are saying a big thank you to all of you who has spent time arranging for our goodness not necessarily your goodness”, he stated.
Photo: National President of ANLCA, Iju Tony Nwabunike (3rd Right) and the interim Chairman, ANLCA, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Hon. Dr. Olisaemeka Ugwunze (4th Left) flanked by the members of the ANLCA National Executive Committee (NECOM) shortly after inauguration yesterday at the ANLCA National Secretariat, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos.
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