…Assures members of tackling operational challenges
The newly elected executive of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, Apapa Chapter led by Chief Emeka Chukwumalu, on Monday, held an inaugural general meeting of the chapter with all the members and stakeholders in attendance.
The Publicity Secretary of ANLCA in the chapter, Chief Chima Idika who briefed our correspondent in the outcome of the meeting said that the executive used the opportunity presented by the general meeting to nominate and appoint the Heads of taskforce for various terminals and units under the chapter for an initial period of three months.
Those appointed, according to Idika included Amaechi George – Head Monitoring; Chief Innocent Osuji – Head Ecosupport; Prince Babatunde – Head ENL; Mrs. Bamidele Toyosi – Woman Leader and Emeka Okonkwo Nnedum – Taskforce Coordinator.
Others are Captain Bawa – Deputy Coordinator; Emeka Charles Ugochukwu – Head SIFAX Ijora; Taiwo Oshibolarin – Deputy Head Ecosupport; Ifeanyi Ezulike – Head Greenview among others.
Speaking on the appointments, Chief Idika explained that the appointments were provisional and would run for an initial period of three months where the executive would take time to watch and assess their performance within the period.
In his words, “We will watch them for three months. We gave them a provisional appointment because of our meeting tomorrow’s (yesterday’s) meeting. So, we have decided to give them a provisional appointment.
“We appointed Coordinators for ENL, Ecosupport, Ijora SIFAX, the woman leader and her deputy and the Coordinator General of Apapa. But it’s all provisional. We will watch them for three months by then, and we would have settled our office accommodation challenge.”
He quoted the Chairman of the chapter, Chief Emeka Chukwumalu as advising the newly appointed Heads of Taskforce at the various terminals and units to work as a team in the interest of the members of the association urging them not to hesitate to recourse to the executive if they encounter any problem in the course of discharging their duty.
Reacting to dissatisfaction expressed by some members on the caliber of persons appointed to head different terminals and units, the ANLCA Apapa Chapter spokesman said, “Just like I told you, it’s temporary, it’s a provisional appointment that can change any time. We told them during the meeting that this is provisional.
“So, let nobody be annoyed. We are going to enlarge the taskforce tomorrow (yesterday). A lot of people have written down their names and we have equally given the Coordinators the power to know those that can work with them and co-opt them to work with them.
“What we just did was to appoint the heads. So, what we did today (Monday) was nomination and appointment of Heads of taskforce members, we have not inaugurated anybody. There are so many terminals, we have not even appointed Coordinators for all of them. What we did is to set the ball rolling.”
He disclosed that the executive equally used the opportunity presented by the meeting to seek the views of members on the operational challenges that they encounter in the course of discharging their duties with the aim of proffering solutions to them where necessary.
“They all complained about customs, shipping lines, maritime Police. It is now a common thing, they complained about the Standards Organization of Nigeria. They complained about customs, the several alerts that they get, delays witnessed in B’Odogwu. We heard complaints that it takes two days to even print exit on some occasions. Problems with APMT over positioning of containers, they position containers up till 1pm.
“There’s a lot of issues. You will go to collect SONCAP from the SON office here, at the point of delivery, if you want to take your container, they will say SON block it claiming that your SONCAP ought to have come from abroad. But when you don’t have SONCAP abroad, the SON office here can equally give you a SONCAP certificate, which they always do. So, why are they blocking it again?
“Those were the several issues that we will look into, we are going to look into a lot of issues. So, we advised that members should come to our meeting with the CAC (Apapa) tomorrow (yesterday) so that they will say all those things and we equally advised them to try to do their job well. It’s not about one complaining but when you go into the nitty-gritty of the complaint, you will find out that something is actually wrong. So, we should try to tell our importers the right thing so as to get their declarations right.
“We are all going to meet them because the issue of SON blocking containers, the issue of Maritime Police that does not come for examination, this is an old system, it has happened a long time ago and it’s repeating itself but you know the country that we live in, everybody is trying to be relevant in the chain of import operations which is not supposed to be. You at Obalende blocking containers that you didn’t see its contents.
“And the shipping companies, we have to talk to them too because what they are doing now is collude with the Nigeria Police. We are going to arrange for a meeting with the shipping lines, SON, Police, NAFDAC and all the agencies that are operating at the port, hear their own version and possibly address all the issues raised”, he assured.
Photo: Chief Chima Idika, Publicity Secretary, ANLCA, Apapa Chapter.
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