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The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has partnered with Access Bank to introduce a customised bank-enabled identification card for its members as part of activities marking the association’s 72nd anniversary.
The new card, which combines membership identification with access to banking services, will be formally unveiled during the anniversary celebration scheduled for September 29 in Ikeja, Lagos.
Chairman of the ANLCA 72nd Anniversary Local Organising Committee (LOC) and Vice President of the association, Prince Segun Oduntan, disclosed this yesterday at a press briefing in Lagos, said the initiative was part of efforts to reposition ANLCA as a modern, digitally driven professional association.
He added that the card would make it easier for the association to identify its members wherever they operate, adding that the new card should not be confused with the biometric identification card previously associated with the association’s electoral processes.
According to him, the new financial card is not biometric and has no connection with elections.
“This is an ID card for identification. But that does not mean that if you have it, then you don’t pay your dues,” Oduntan said.
He explained that while the card would serve as an official means of identifying ANLCA members, its banking functionality would enable eligible members to access financial services and carry out transactions. Oduntan said Access Bank was the financial institution currently involved in the initiative, while the card itself had been customised specifically for ANLCA members.
He added that members would be required to maintain an account with Access Bank to utilise the banking features of the card.
The ANLCA vice president stressed, however, that possession of the card would not exempt members from their obligation to pay association dues.
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Oduntan said the introduction of the bank-enabled membership card was part of a broader transformation taking place within ANLCA, with greater emphasis being placed on digitalisation, professional training and capacity building.
He said the association was also aligning itself with the modernisation efforts of the Nigeria Customs Service through continuous training and professional development of its members.
According to him, ANLCA members participate in training programmes both locally and internationally, including programmes involving the World Customs Organization (WCO).
He explained that knowledge acquired through national-level training programmes was subsequently transferred to chapters across the country to ensure that more members benefit from the programmes.
“This is how we take up the training. When the training is done at the national level, we have different representatives from different chapters. Those who represented the chapters, we now take it to the chapter level,” he said. Oduntan also said ANLCA’s investment in training had contributed to changing the perception of customs brokerage as a profession for people without formal education.
He noted that graduates and young professionals were increasingly showing interest in the profession, while some National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who served with ANLCA had continued in the customs brokerage profession after completing their service.
According to him, the development reflects the growing professionalisation of customs brokerage and the changing profile of the association.
“Unlike before, ANLCA of today is a digitized Association. Again, the ANLCA hall has been designated as one of the centres for the National Single Window initiative, where thousands of members and non-members receive training.
“This has never happened before. In any event, in anything that is going on in the maritime industry, it is either ANLCA is there, or the event is not complete. We have been trained both within and outside the country, and more such training sessions are still coming,” Oduntan said.
