… We did not do anything wrong – Tanko
… Says there’s no crisis in NAGAFF
Following the picketing of the Clarion Bonded Terminal by the 100% Compliance Team of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) on Monday, the Customs Area Controller, Tincan Island command, Comptroller Olakunle Oloyede has assured of his readiness to address the issue.
It would be recalled that the team invaded the Clarion Bonded Terminal on Monday carrying placards with different inscriptions, demanding the whereabout of the 19 containers “flown” out of customs control at the Tincan Island port to an unknown destination allegedly by the management of the terminal in connivance with First Degree Multinationals Nigeria Limited.
The team also demanded for the release of the 14 vehicles trapped at the terminal since last year on condition that they pay over eight million Naira unpaid assessment linked to the licensed customs agency handling them, Ajaji Continental Limited.
However, speaking to journalists in Lagos on Wednesday, the National Chairman of the NAGAFF 100% Compliance Team, Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko disclosed that the Customs Area Controller of Tincan who incidentally assumed duty at the command few weeks ago claimed he was not aware of the matter and appealed to them to allow him investigate the matter.
Tanko who recalled that the first letter that they wrote was to the former Customs Area Controller in charge of Tincan, informed that the new Controller requested that they put their grouse in writing for him so that he could investigate the matter adding that he was going to invite Clarion management and any other person who was involved in the matter so that he could quickly resolve the matter.
“He also agreed with us that we have a very good case. First, he is trying to look at the vehicles to see how he can get Clarion to allow those vehicles to go because she has no power to hold back those vehicles because the vehicles have been released by the customs and they have paid their terminal and shipping company charges. I believe that is where he wants to start from.
“The Controller said I should write to him and he’s going to act on it. So, I will do that. By tomorrow (today) morning, the letter will get to him”. he added.
Speaking on the outcome of the protest, the National Chairman said, “You can see, immediately, calls started coming in from left and right and I bet you, before the end of this week, we are going to get result. The owners of the vehicles, before the end of this week, I bet you, they will get their vehicles and if they didn’t get their vehicles this week, I believe by next week, they will get their vehicles. That’s the promise I give to them.”
Tanko who also reacted to a news report suggesting that there was crisis in NAGAFF as well as an allegation by the KLT chapter Chairman of the association, Engr. Emmanuel Umeadi, to the effect that the National President of the association was not aware of the protest by his team, however, dismissed that report insisting that there was no crisis in the association.
According to him, the 100% Compliance Team don’t embark on any operation without the knowledge of the President of NAGAFF even as he assured that the President of NAGAFF was fully aware of the operation that they carried out two days ago.
He said, “Even when we were going to Tincan to meet with the Area Controller, myself, the founder of NAGAFF and the President, the three of us went there together. So, why would somebody try to cause confusion by saying that there’s crisis and that even the President was not aware? The Controller of Tincan appreciated the three of us, to show you that NAGAFF is fully aware of the operation we went. I didn’t go there on my own, I went there for NAGAFF 100% Compliance Team.
“When we want to go for any operation, we will first of all, write to the President of NAGAFF, though we are answerable to the founder of NAGAFF but I normally write the President of NAGAFF. And if I am going to a chapter, I will write or call whosoever is the Chairman of the chapter for notification not for permission. I don’t need permission from anybody, I am only notifying you that I am coming to your chapter.
“The process was followed, it’s just that the Tincan chapter Chairman is a friend of mine and he’s not around. Even before we went for the operation, we notified the Port Police because we were waiting for a very long time for them to take action but they never did. That is why we went for that operation.”
On the identify of those that carried out the protest at the Clarion Bonded Terminal on Monday, the National Chairman said, “Everybody knows me, and if somebody heard my name and said he’s not sure whether it was NAGAFF members that embarked on the operation, such a person needs to be interrogated to know if he’s a NAGAFF member. If such a person could hold top position in NAGAFF and still ask whether those people were from NAGAFF or not, his membership of the association needs to be re-evaluated.
“To put the record straight, Clarion Bonded Terminal is not under KLT command, it’s under Tincan. He has no right to even interfere in any matter that has to do with Clarion. You can see, we are coming from the Area Controller, Tincan, if that bonded terminal is under KLT, we could have gone to the Area Controller of KLT.
“Now, who is a fool now? Is it not the person who is saying he’s not aware as the chapter Chairman of KLT? He needs to know his jurisdiction as a chapter Chairman. People always like to find fault. If you have a personal business with the woman, it is left for you to go ahead with your business with the woman because I did not talk about your business with the woman.
“If the woman is doing the wrong thing and we were complaining that this woman is doing the wrong thing, is it the right thing for a chapter Chairman to even come out in the open to say that what the 100% Compliance Team did on Monday was wrong? For a woman to take laws into her hands by detaining 14 vehicles belonging to a member of NAGAFF and you are now saying that we are wrong and this matter was going on since last year, this is nine months today. We have written to almost everybody and the same Clarion he is fighting for is under Tincan. The DC Terminal at that place is answerable to the Controller of Tincan and not to Controller of KLT.
“Likewise, any member of NAGAFF who is a member of the Compliance Team is answerable to me directly and I am answerable to the founder of NAGAFF directly. We did not do anything wrong, we are only trying to defend our members.
“And I heard him say that we don’t have any document to back up our claim. We are the ones having documents backing us because we have the whole container numbers and the C numbers and we have the transire written and signed by Tincan. What we were even asking was, where is the escort that escorted the containers? And there was no such thing and the matter is before the Police. The Police invited the Clarion Bonded Terminal and the question we asked was, who wrote the TDO on those containers and how did you write TDO because customs never released those containers.
“So, I want to make the people to understand that there’s nothing like crisis in NAGAFF. NAGAFF is one family, we don’t have any crisis in NAGAFF. If there’s anybody that should complain, it should be Tincan chapter Chairman. So, we did not offend him (Umeadi) in anyway. Maybe, he has his own reason for castigating compliance team members. We don’t have any business with him and there’s nothing like crisis in NAGAFF.”
Photo: Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko, National Chairman, NAGAFF 100% Compliance Team.
Send your news, press releases/articles to augustinenwadinamuo@yahoo.com. Also, follow us on Twitter @ptreporters and on Facebook on facebook.com/primetimereporters or call the editor on 07030661526, 08053908817.
