Freight Monitor

Nwabunike preaches love, peace and forgiveness at Easter —–calls for compliance among freight forwarders

Oladimeji Ige

The National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Tony Nwabunike, has enjoined the operators in the maritime industry, especially the freight Forwarders stock, to shun bitterness, rancor and other ungodly acts.

In his goodwill message at the Easter period, Nwabunike admonished freight forwarders to instead emulate the virtues of Jesus Christ which is love, sacrifice and forgiveness which is what His death and resurrection stand for.

In the message sent to our Correspondent, the ANLCA President said he holds no grudges against anybody as he has forgotten all his distractors.

“For those of us who observed the forty days fasting that precede Easter, it’s time to resolve not to go back to anything ungodly.”Nwabunike called for compliance among freight forwarders and importers to rules of honest declaration, payment of right duty.

“I enjoin importers and agents to always pay their taxes either in the form of import duty or otherwise. It is in following in the footsteps of Jesus.

“Sincere declarations and being law abiding will not only give the declarant and agents peace of mind, it is a way of contributing to national economic growth for common good.

“Importers and international traders should avoid bringing things that hurts the health of consumers or inflame society such as hard drugs, arms, ammunition and unwholesome or expired consumables.

“If we are sincere, laudable initiatives like the electronic call up system will be implemented with ease without the observed hiccups in it’s implementation

“Nigeria’s unemployment rate which Increased to 33.3% in last quarter 2020 from 27.1% in second quarter of last year according to National Bureau of Statistics, is not irreversible. More productive employment can be generated under an atmosphere of increased compliance

“The number of persons in the economically active or working age population (15 – 64 years of age) during the reference period of Q4, 2020 was 122,049,400 out of an estimated population of over 200 million persons.

“The maritime industry still holds the ace for supporting other economic activities and as participants in this sensitive sector, let us rise to be counted among those who improved our economy in our time

“Many are active but truly not productively engaged due to possible factors like greed causing fewer persons to hold grip on common wealth while active workers are mostly underpaid.

“Like I reiterated in my new year message, I have forgiven those who hurt me in the course of my being of service to professional colleagues. For me it is the best way to celebrate this season of love, sacrifice and soul searching reflections.

“Jesus has given us examples to emulate this season and always. May God’s love and blessings reign in our lives, families, careers and association’s now and always.

“The resurrection power God manifested in Jesus is truly a symbol of hope that things can get better than they were yesterday and opportunities in our future are limitless.

“Let’s make sacrifices for common good, be forgiving, avoid greed, run away from act of betrayal and shun lust for earthly wealth at the detriment of common good,” he concluded.

Freight Monitor

Major industry stakeholders shun ANLCA’s NECOM inauguration

The Eyewitness Reporter

Apparently pissed off by the protracted crisis that had made the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) a laughing stock in the maritime industry in the last five years, major industry stakeholders stayed away from the inauguration of the new National Executive Council of the association.

The new NECOM, headed by Emenike Nwokeoji, was inaugurated Thursday, November 23rd, 2023 at Marcellina Place on Isaac John Street, Ikeja.

Despite the hyped nature of the event with a vaunted grade A list of invited stakeholders, most of the stakeholders whose names were flaunted at the pre-event press conference shunned the inauguration ceremony.

Top on the list of the invited guest who didn’t honour the invitation was Wale Adeniyi, the Comptroller General of Customs, who was said to have indicated his intention to personally attend.

“Already, the Customs Comptroller General has given us his word that he would be coming personally for the inauguration” the Special Assistant to the ANLCA President on Media, Alhaji Ayokunle Sulaiman, had boasted a few days before the event.

Adeniyi sent ACG Jibo Mohammed, Zonal Coorinator, Zone A, Lagos.

Curiously, none of the heads of the agencies of government in the maritime industry such as the Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Shippers’Council Council, Council of Registered Freight Forwarding Practice in Nigeria (CRFFN) showed up nor sent their representatives.

More instructive was the absence of the CRFFN which is the regulatory agency for the freight forwarding industry to which ANLCA belongs.

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, neither came nor sent a representative.

The mass boycott of the event by the notable industry players was despite the hype to which the organizers had subjected the expected attendance of these critical stakeholders.

“The industry bigwigs, which included the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, the Comptroller General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohamed Bello-Koko, all indicated their interest to attend” Alhaji Ayokunle Sulaiman had further declared before the event.

More instructive is the absence of some of the past Presidents of the Association whose attendance would have further boosted the event.

An eyewitness account has it that apart from three past leaders of ANLCA such as Prince Shittu Olayiwola, Alhaji Innua Mohammed and understandably, Chief Ernest Elochukwu, others stayed away without sending representatives.

This was despite their hyped expected attendance.

“Also, past presidents of ANLCA and past Board of Trustees Chairmen will be in attendance” Alhaji Ayokunle Sulaiman had declared prior to the event.

Most of the terminal operators, who have business nexus with the freight forwarders, were also not keen to attend the hyped event.

Apart from Grimaldi, operators of PTML and ENL, which sent junior representatives, others like PTML, Ports and Cargos, Five Stars Logistics, and Tin Can Island Port terminal all stayed away.

For inexplicable reasons, sister freight forwarding groups, who are among the five registered freight forwarding associations with the CRFFN, also stayed away, except the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) whose President was in attendance.

However, according to eyewitness reports, what the event lacked in attendance of key industry stakeholders, it gained in the massive presence of the ANLCA members who thronged the venue apparently due to long years of being starved of such air of conviviality as a result of the long- drawn crisis in ANLCA.

Stakeholders however believed that the absence of key industry stakeholders at the ANLCA event despite their due invitation and consultation is a sign of delibitating confidence of this important stock in the industry due to the long years of factional war in the association.

They however urged the Emenike Nwokeoji-led executive council to work assiduously in order to restore the fading glory of ANLCA.

Freight Monitor

ANLCA’s new NECOM craves attendance of industry stakeholders at inauguration

The Eyewitness Reporter

The Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) is set to officially inaugurate its newly elected National Executive Council led by Emenike Nwokeoji in a grand ceremony slated for Ikeja, Lagos, on Thursday, November 24th, 2023.

According to the statement issued by the Special Assistant to the ANLCA President on Media, Alhaji Ayokunle Sulaiman, industry bigwigs, which included the minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, the Comptroller General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi, the managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohamed Bello- Koko, the former Executive secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’Council, Barrister Hassan Bello, who is billed to give the inauguration lecture, were expected to grace the occasion.

Alhaji Sulaiman disclosed that the association has set up a 13-man planning committee, headed by Hajia Bola Muse, to steer the event.

Hajia Muse is the Financial Secretary of the association. Other members of the planning Committee include; ANLCA Airport Chairman, Bangalore Adewusi, Western Zonal Coordinator, Femi Anifowose, Comrade Joe Sanni and Alhaji Ayo Sulaiman who is the Secretary of the Committee.

Speaking, he said “Stakeholders in the maritime and aviation sector have been invited, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy is expected, some of our Royal fathers including His Royal Highness, Oba Adegboruwa Igbobo, HRM Sekunmade of Ebute in Ikorodu among others.

“Also, past presidents of ANLCA and past Board of Trustees Chairmen will be in attendance”

“Already, the Customs Comptroller General has given us his word that he would be coming personally for the inauguration”

Freight Monitor

AMATO laments high level of corruption in cargo delivery system at ports, as it hosts international anti-corruption group

The Eyewitness Reporter

The Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) has lamented a high level of corruption in the cargo value chain at the Nigerian Ports.

Remi Ogungbemile, the Chairman of the group, who made the allegation while playing host to the international anti- Corruption group, Siemens Integrity Initiative at the association’s office Thursday, November 3rd, 2023, alleged that the existence of multiple checkpoints, extortion, slow terminals operations, touting and disunity in Customs operations often lead to confiscation of trucks after being duly cleared by Customs officials at the ports.

A delegation of Siemens Integrity Initiative, an International anti-corruption group that was on an evaluation of the impact of anti-corruption initiatives in the Nigerian ports environment, has paid a courtesy visit to the head office of AMATO.

Siemens Internal Initiative has provided funding since 2010 to anti-corruption agencies with the vision of ensuring a corruption-free environment for businesses and corporations around the world.

Through an external assessor, Nordic Consulting Group (NCG) Copenhagen, Siemens visited to assess the level of compliance with standard business processes and the impact of anti-corruption groups in combating the menace of corruption within the Nigerian port business environment.

AMATO Chairperson, Mr. Remi Ogungbemi, who received the delegation along with members of AMATO and sister associations, thanked the group for their unwavering effort in supporting the cause of the Nigerian port industry and truckers in particular to provide a platform for profitability and sustainability of the maritime transport business space.

Ogungbemi stated that together with Siemens, while anti-corruption groups like Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) and Convention on Business Integrity (CBI), are leaders in championing the cause of restoring sanity to Nigeria’s maritime industry, much work still remains to be done.

Giving a vote of confidence on MACN and CBI, he noted that their campaigns have led to the free movement of cargo in the outbound section of the ports’ access.

He called for a review of the Port Standing Task Team (PSTT) mandate to enable it to cover the inbound section of the port access roads where extortion of truckers and the existence of multiple barriers to trade hampers ease of doing business and seamless evacuation of cargoes from the ports.

He also called for an increase in human resources to tackle the menace head-on and financial support to accelerate the process of nipping the problems in the bud.

On their part, Private Sector Development & Partnership Experts Nordic Consulting, Mrs. Marie-Louis Appelquist, and Evaluation and Governance Expert Nordic Consulting, Mrs. Ayla Olesen Yurtaslan, took note of issues raised by the truckers and promised to escalate to relevant authorities through the Maritime Anti-Corruption alliance MACN/CBI for responsive actions.

AMATO presented merit awards to Mr. Vivek Menon of MACN; Mr. Soji Apampa, the Co-founder and CEO of CBI; and Mr. Moses Fadipe, the National Coordinator of PSTT for their collective fight against corruption in the Nigerian maritime industry.