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Nwabunike: Mustapha, Oyeniyi, Okafor, Elochukwu responsible for ANLCA crisis

Ranmilowo Ojalumo

The national president, Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Tony Iju Nwabunike has vowed to put an end to the lingering crisis rocking the smooth running of the affairs of the association in past two and half years he took over the leadership mantle of the association.

Addressing newsmen at a world press conference at the association’s national secretariat on Thursday, Nwabunike stated that some aggrieved members of the association namely Taiwo Mustapha, Taye Oyeniyi, Ernest Elochukwu, Dennis Okafor and Dayo Azeez are the major actors causing the upheaval in the association, saying the men want to bring his tenure down.

In their bids to bring the National Executive he head down, the ANLCA president disclosed that the identified men and few others, including the managing director of Obokun Freight Forwarders Limited, Mr. Olumide Fakanlu, have instituted eight different court cases against his tenure within the last two and half years he took over the leadership of the association.

The ANLCA president stressed that although the men instituted eight court cases against his tenure, he has never instituted a single court case against any of them.

Instead, he said he has on several occasions given the men blanket forgiveness, adding that the National Executive Committee (NECOM) has asked the litigants to withdraw all court cases but they refuse till date, noting that it is no longer going to be business as usual.

Nwabunike roared that he has had enough of the rigmarole in the association, saying he has decided to take back the reins of the association from the few disgruntled men who have stood against his tenure.

“Enough is enough of the rigmarole in the association. I have taken all these insults and acts of insubordinations because of my desire for peace. I have done everything possible to ensure peace but they never allow peace. I have bent backwards to tolerate, accommodate and carry everyone along despite the obvious disregard of some people for my administration. I am the most bastardised and most insulted president of ANLCA”, Nwabunike said.

Earlier in his remark, the president traced the history of the crisis in the association back to February 2014 when the election into the BOT was held in Warri, noting that Taiwo Mustapha, Ernest Elochukwu, Dayo Abdullaziz, Dennis Okafor and Taiye Oyeniyi have been creating discord  in the association since then, in an attempt to sit tight as members of the expired  BOT.

He revealed that the nine-member BOT was elected in February 2014 for the statutory 6-year tenure which ended in January, 2020.  But while the other five members of the BOT have bowed out with valedictory speech, the other four have refused to go, adding that Mustapha went as far as obtaining certificate from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to perpetuate himself as the board chairman but the commission has withdrawn certificate on the ground that it was issued in error.

Nwabunike and Farinto at the press conference

According to Nwabunike, the Vice-President, Kayode Farinto and the National Secretary, Alhaji Mukaila Abdullaziz who jointly addressed the newsmen at the conference, the association do not have a BOT presently.

In view of this, the association has set to hold its Annual General Meeting within the next few weeks, where it will elect new board members. He reiterated that Mustapha and others can go ahead and contest like others, if they are still interested in continuing as board member.

Corroborating the president, the Vice-President, Kayode Farinto, in his remark, lamented that the association is in the current situation because some elements want the current NECOM to go down. He however expressed optimism that the NECOM will not go down.

He said “although we still have good elders in the association but the role of a former president of the association is not good at all. From all indication, it appears he’s not happy with this administration.

Contrary to the insinuation that the problem of the association is cause by tribalism, Farinto maintained that there is no tribalism in the association, pointing that while the national president is an Igbo man, the vice president (himself), the general secretary, Alhaji Mukaila Abdullaziz as well as the chief of staff of the president are Yoruba men, adding that since the beginning of the current tenure till date, there is no discrimination of any sort from the president.

On his part, Alhaji Abdullaziz insisted that the tenure of association’s board is over; hence, the association will need to have another board through election.

“The tenure of our board is six years and that is what the constitution says. Taiwo Mustapha’s tenure has expired January 12, 2020. We are going ahead to hold AGM and election to get new board”, Alhaji Abdullaziz said.

The ANLCA general secretary however said the association may not rest until the hand of the board is removed from the election activities. “They give promises they will not be able to fulfil to candidates. They thought they can manipulate elections of which they don’t have the power to do”, Alhaji Abdullaziz said.

editor

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