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Freight Monitor

Mustapha group deceived police to invade our secretariat—-ANLCA NECOM

Kayode Farinto
—-dismisses  Mustapha group as impostors
—-says invasion is illegal

Eyewitness reporter

The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA)  has condemned the Wednesday invasion of its national secretariat as illegal.

Reacting to the incident, the Vice  President of the association, Kayode Farinto, described the actors of the incident as impostors, disgruntled elements whom he said had been expelled from the association.
Farinto, who addressed the press Thursday alongside the  General Secretary of the association, Alhaji Babatunde Mukaila, accused Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha and his group of misleading the Inspector- General of Police with a court injunction which he said had been challenged and presently in Court.
Farinto further accused the police of bias, saying they failed to hear from the other contending party before carrying out the illegal invasion and occupation of the secretariat.
The ANLCA Chieftain further declared that a lot was wrong with the invasion as it was carried out without the court bailiff neither was the NECOM  served any court order.

Farinto lamented that the Wednesday invasion was the second in about eight months by the same people he described as impostors.

Alhaji Babatunde Mukaila corroborated the position of Farinto, saying the invasion and occupation of the Secretariat were done  “without any court bailiff from the court, nor any notice from the police”.

He accused the Mustapha group of carrying out the invasion when some members of the NECOM were at the National Assembly at the invitation of Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Customs & Excise, Hon. Leke Abejide over the new CBN policy of E-invoicing.

Alhaji Mukaila reiterated the stand of the association on the status of the perpetrators of the invasion whom he said stand expelled, adding that the court has equally sacked Alhaji Mustapha as the ANLCA Board Chairman.

Re-echoing the futility of the invasion and occupation of the association’s secretariat, the National Scribe said the disgruntled elements who carried out the Wednesday illegal invasion and occupation of the secretariat deceived the Police top hierarchy with the expired court order obtained in 2019 which they tried to use to unseat the National President of the association, Tony Iju Nwabunike.

He revealed that the order was subsequently challenged in court after 14 days, adding that the case was currently in court and should not have been used as a ground to seal the secretariat.“We were told they came with three policemen from Festac Division and a multitude of hoodlums who came with daggers and all sort, they cut off the padlocks, they destroyed the main car entrance gate, went into the main entrance and destroyed whatever they can destroy and they deflated all the car tyres and beat up all the people they met, including the Youth Corpers.

” The end result is what everyone now knows that Taiwo Mustapha led the gang that purportedly took over the secretariat without any warrant from the police or court.
“And I want to state that there is no court bailiff present in that premises because if any court is coming to enforce any judgment with the police, the bailiff of the court ought to be there.
“After that, they left and position those three Policemen and truckloads of soldiers there.

” On our arrival from Abuja at about 8.00 pm, we (I and VP) moved straight to the Area Command of Festac, unfortunately, the Area Commander had closed, but we met some officers who were able to give us hint that the court order that was gotten in August 2019 purportedly trying to unseat the Tony Iju present NECOM that was challenged in court after 14 days and the case is in court is the same order Muatapha purportedly presented to the Inspector General of Police as being valid and that the order is still in enforce.

“So the IG ordered the AIG Zone 2, the AIG then ordered the Area Commander Festac Division, the Area Commander then ordered the DPO to enforce that order.

“But today, we’ve been with the Area Commander and the DPO to prove our case that the order is a spent order, so it is not supposed to be in the interest of Police without inviting the other party.
“The interesting truth about the order is that the plaintiff, Obokun Freight Forwarder, told their counsel that they aren’t interested in the case anymore rather they want out of court settlement.
“We have the certified true copy of that proceeding of the court where their lawyers pronounced that they want out of court settlement and that the judge is giving us four weeks to seat together.
” And as we speak tomorrow(today)was supposed to be the meeting with the counsel for the reconciliation as agreed.

“And a man who is not a party to the suit led thugs to the secretariat to beat up NYSC corpers and women with cane and I have presented the case at the DPO office in Festac.“The parents of the corpers they beat will report to the police station tomorrow (today)so that Mustapha can give reasons what the offences of those children were before they were beaten up”, the ANLCA Scribe explained.

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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.
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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”
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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.
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