By Steve Agbota, Lagos
The Acting National President/presidential candidate of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Dr Farinto Collins Kayode, has revealed how the old and new order behind the crisis rocked ANLCA for almost five years.
Farinto stated this while addressing the association’s members when he and his entourage visited the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja Chapter of the association as they continue their campaign tour to various chapters of the ANLCA in preparation for the July 5, 2023, National Executive Committee (NECOM) election.
Farinto said the crisis in the association is the battle between the old and the new order in the association, adding that some people in the association wanted the old way of doing things to remain.
However, he urged his members, especially the youths to rise up and protect the association and their profession.
“In the past five years, we have been in crisis, the trouble is that the old people don’t want to give way to the new order, which has kept ANLCA where it is today.
“We must begin to do things right and protect our profession. Over 90 per cent of our jobs, especially project cargoes have been taken over by foreigners.
“How many of you even at the airport here are clearing project cargoes.? Government agencies will take decisions without involving us as critical stakeholders, all these must be stopped. If am elected, everybody will be carried along in the decision-making that concerns our profession,” he said.
The ANLCA Acting National President said if elected he will implement his ten-point agenda, which has to do with the welfare of members, training and retraining among others.
“As a member of CRFFN and Chairman of the Education Committee, the Act says you must have at least a Diploma in Freight Forwarding before you are allowed to practice and it is going to be enforced in 2024. So we will focus on training and retraining of our members even to know how to clear dangerous cargoes,” he stated.
Therefore, he urged members of the association to vote for a good team that will lead the association well.
“In my short period as the Acting National President, even amidst crisis, we tried our best, please if any group of people come to you ask them what they have done in the last two years in ANLCA.
“The same people who were hiring hoodlums and thugs destroying and trying to burn down the National Secretariat of ANLCA are the people who are going around claiming that they want to lead you,” he added.
The high point of the event was the team visit to the Customs Area Controller office at the airport Command. Dr Farinto also introduced his team of other contestants in various positions to include Chief Dennis Okwu, vying for the position of Vice President, Chief Lawrence Uba for National Secretary, Chief Chuks Okoro for Financial Secretary and Segun Alabi as Assistant National Secretary.
Alhaji Afolabi Abdulazeez who is vying for the position of National Treasurer, who is also from the chapter was officially handed over to Dr Farinto by the Chairman of the chapter, Adewusi as their preferred candidate and ambassador of the chapter.
Others are Emmanuel Onyeme for NPS and Alhaji Femi Anifowose as Western zone Coordinator.
The campaign will continue in other chapters of the Western zone as the team has already concluded campaign visits to both the Eastern and Northern Zones of the association.