By Kenneth Jukpor
Amid criticisms that the decision of the National Executive Council (NEC), Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) to expel some members of the association was extreme, facts have emerged that their offences were too grievous for just suspension.
The Vice President of ANLCA, Dr. Kayode Farinto revealed this while briefing the press in Lagos yesterday, noting that only the Association’s President could convey another NEC meeting to reconsider the reassimilation of such members.
Farinto, who also doubles as the Chairman of ANLCA’s Disciplinary Committee by virtue of his position as the Vice President, noted that the original recommendation of the Committee was suspension of the concerned members to as to give a room for repentance and correction.
The expelled members include; the Managing Director of Green Star Nigeria Limited, Mr. Temitope Akindele, the Managing Director of Multimodal Logistics Limited, Mr. Abdulmaza Joe-Sanni, the Managing Director of MarkMary Nigeria Limited, Prince Taiye Oyeniyi, Managing Director of Pyramid Nigeria Limited, Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha, Managing Director of Nestilo Global Services, Sir Ernest Elochukwu, Managing Director of Salem International Nigeria Limited, Sir John Oforbike and the Managing Director of Bayle Limited, Alhaji Bayo Oyekangun.
According to the ANLCA Vice President, any industry stakeholder dealing with the expelled members on behalf of ANLCA are doing so at their own peril.
His words: “NEC agreed that in view of the anti-association activities which has digressed to the extent that the President was attacked, his phone stolen and monies collected from his account. I slept in the police cell for allegations I knew nothing about, and many other excesses of these individuals. We have visited over 10 police stations from these expelled ANLCA members. It was the extent of the havoc cause by these people that informed the decision of the NEC to expel them, rather than suspension. Since the NEC meeting held, this is the first press conference and we are reiterating that they are expelled.”
Noting that the NEC weilds the highest authority in the Association, he explained that the Council comprises of National Executives (NECOM) – the President and his national executives, all the chapter chairmen and national committees, he reiterated that it was the NEC that expelled these members.
Farinto also faulted a recent online report which claimed that a Badagry court judgment indicted ANLCA for submitting fake documents and ruled against the Association’s legal representatives.
Describing the report as fallacious, Farinto revealed that the judge hasn’t ruled on the matter as the ruling is expected to hold on August 3rd, 2021.
“It saddens me to read on some online platforms that the judge ruled that we submitted fake documents. It is very disheartening and there is a need for us to put the records straight. There was never a time when the judge said that ANLCA election was illegal and there was never a time where the judge said that we submitted fake documents.”
“We have told our lawyers to write to the publishers of the online news platform to find out the source of that information and if he is unable to prove it, we may resort to a libel suit,” he said.
