Just as ten members of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) have picked forms to contest the election of the freight forwarders into the Governing Council of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), over fifteen members of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) have equally picked nomination forms to contest the election scheduled to hold on October 9, 2021.
The National Secretary of ANLCA, Alhaji Abdulazeez Babatunde Mukaila who disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent in Lagos last Friday revealed that four members of the association who served in the immediate past Governing Council including the National Vice President of the association, Dr. Kayode Farinto were among those that have picked up their nomination forms.
Mukaila noted that the number of those who will pick forms to contest the election from ANLCA may increase as one could not be sure of the number until the close of sale of forms by the electoral committee on the 17th of September, 2021.
The National Secretary who explained the rationale behind over fifteen members of the association picking up nomination forms to contest in an election where there were only fifteen seats to contest for, said that on the face value, the present electoral guideline stipulated that everyone should throw in his or her cap into the ring.
“What that means is that they want every qualified freight forwarder to step out. Because I am talking from the point of knowledge as a former ASECO Chairman of our association, you don’t discuss this until the last COB – Close of Business on the day the form sales will elapse.
“I can tell you authoritatively that more than fifteen freight forwarders that are members of our association have shown interest. You will recall that there are fifteen seats available but more than fifteen have shown interest. If the form sales have not closed, it will be too early for me to pre-empt how many is going to pick form.
“I can tell you that from the immediate past Council, about four of those that represented ANLCA are interested to go back. I am just going to tell you one of them, Dr. Farinto Kayode Collins. ANLCA has this spread even we have a member from Kano who has shown interest. Our Chairman, Abuja chapter wants to go. So, just let the bell and the door closes on 17th September, 2021, then it will be very clear. If CRFFN has a seat in Abuja, we want a proper representation this time. We don’t want a situation where if you are a member of CRFFN Governing Council, it will be difficult for you to travel to Abuja for urgent meeting.
“So, ANLCA is putting all cards on the table, we are putting the best leg forward, it is not a jamboree but even at that, more than fifteen qualified freight forwarding members of this association have shown interest”, he stated.
Asked how the association would be able to manage the number so as to harmonize all interests before going into the contest, he said, “That is what makes us an association and that is why nobody will hear a fight, we don’t shout on the pages of the newspaper. There have been a lot of internal meetings, talking to everybody that you have your right to be interested. ANLCA is a very big organization; we always disagree to agree in ANLCA. There is no fiat here, as you will recall, we all joined, we don’t have a founder. So, if I say I am interested and someone else is interested, of course, everybody will put his interest on the table and let us discuss it.”
Photo: Alhaji Abdulazeez Babatunde Mukaila, National Secretary, ANLCA.
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