… As Tincan Chairman, Cole renders scorecard, commits to unifying members
The National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, Mr. Emenike Nwokeoji, on Thursday, paid an official visit to the Tincan Island chapter of the association to reopen the secretariat shut down few years ago over the crisis that engulfed the association in the past and to present the newly elected executive of the chapter to the members.
Speaking during the visit, Nwokeoji, while reflecting on the event of the past few years in the chapter, recalled that for a long time, members of the association in the chapter had never had the kind of gathering that they had yesterday owing to the misunderstanding among them.
He however, observed that God guided them through the elections such that on their own volition, they made the choice of leaders that would handle the affairs of the chapter for the next three years.
“We thank you for conducting yourselves in a manner that you did during the elections. Personally, I recorded your reaction after the election, you electrified that hall that day at the Federal Palace Hotel. You can’t ask for any other level of sign of acceptance, that you accepted your choice.
“Now that you have made your choice, I will appeal to you, no leader can perform beyond the support that he gets from those he is leading. So, please continue to give them all the necessary support. Your Chairman, for instance, has never been a Chairman before. So, if he makes a mistake, please bear with him, he will correct along the way.
“I have never been a National President before, even though I have been a Vice President, but you know that the view of the road changes when you move from the driving seat to the passenger seat. So, I am learning and I appreciate the patience that the members are having. So, please, support them, encourage them, we have every believe that they will not fail you”, he entreated.
On the level of transformation that has taken place at the reopened secretariat, the National President said, “When I stepped into this place, I was even moving a motion but I didn’t have a support, for us to move the national secretariat to this place because I almost slept off, the AC was just chilling. My body was almost freezing and I was wondering if this one can be like this, how would heaven be.”
On the free medical checks and drugs put on ground by the Chairman of the association in Tincan Island chapter through his foundation, he said, “I know when you look at the size of this table, it might not make any serious impact to you. I am a sports man, I don’t joke with this. If I had seen them, that’s where I would have started before going in.
“Don’t look down on what is happening here. The stress we go through in executing this job is enough to kill and it has killed many people without knowing. If you find five minutes, go there, it costs you nothing, go and check. That casual check can reveal something that you have been working with without knowing. Please use it, it’s important for us to watch our health because without health, you won’t service your customers and your family needs you and you need them.
“Please Mr. Chairman, these two things alone, we will copy some from you and take them to the national level because I believe that it’s never too late to learn in life. What you have done, keep it up and may God help all of you.
“We thank you and we pray that this chapter is going to move from strength to strength and when next time you people will invite us, we will be coming either to commission a new land, a new project or a new secretariat.
“Chairman and all his executive, count on the support of the national executive and please, carry everybody along. Election is over, wherever you see a good candidate, pick him and work with him. Don’t look at the people that voted for you and may God help all of you in Jesus name.”
Also speaking, a former Chairman of the chapter and now National Vice President of ANLCA, Prince Segun Oduntan congratulated the chapter Chairman on the achievements he had recorded in such a short time in office saying that he was beating them to it because there’s a template that he was following and that the people who were advising Wale were his (Oduntan’’s) people.
“Our prayer is that our children should be greater than us. I am happy coming here today to see an improvement because when I took over, it was worse than this and I did my best under a terrible situation that most of us cannot even drive our cars to Tincan as at that time. But we did what we can do.
“The clinic was set up here, we did it then and I will tell you again, the additional thing that you need to do is insurance. Choose people and pay for them. People are still enjoying their insurance (that we set up) up till today and they have taken over from where I left it and they are paying.
“The only advice I can give you is that you can never please everybody but once you have pleased a good number of people, you are good to go. Have arrangements for the elders’ welfare and take care of the youth. I will enjoin you to continue to do your best, have a good relationship with your Controller. Let people go and do the job and bring back report to you. You must have time for yourself by delegating to the youth, give them things to do, engage them”, he advised.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman of ANLCA, Tincan Island chapter, Prince Olawale Cole while thanking the National President for the visit, informed him that they were following his footsteps in trying to unify the association in the chapter even as he assured the President that “we are going to bring everybody back home in Tincan Island.”
“Before your arrival today, we had an interaction, a stakeholders’ meeting with other sister associations, some of which are still present here and we have agreed to create a platform in Tincan to work together as one big happy family and we believe that with your support sir, we are going to achieve a greater Tincan Island chapter.
“Sir, part of our manifesto that we shared during the campaigns, rebranding of our secretariat was one of our priorities and the second one was health care, reaching out to the less privileged as well as the privileged ones who because of their busy schedule, don’t have time to go the hospital to do their check up.
“We are putting up a clinic beside the secretariat here so that our members can come around, members of our sister associations can come around, everybody in the maritime industry, we want to give them an opportunity to come and enjoy our clinic sir”, he concluded.
Photo 1: Mr. Emenike Nwokeoji, ANLCA National President undergoing medical checks during the event at ANLCA Tincan Island chapter secretariat Thursday.
Photo 2: A cross-section of the members of the high table.
Photo 3: A cross-section of the newly elected executive of ANLCA, Tincan Island chapter.
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