ANLCA Board of Trustees remains dissolved, says president 

––Culprits risk jail term——-

By  Ezurike Ugochukwu

The National President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Hon Iju Nwabunike, has said that any member of the association parading himself or herself as a Board of Trustees (BoT) member would risk jail term as has been declared by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Nwabunike said ANLCA to the best of his knowledge presently has no BoT, as their tenure expired in February, 2020, and it’s not until the court judgement upholding same is vacated by an appellate court, any one assuming such position risks jail term.

Speaking with journalists at the secretariat of ANLCA in Lagos, Nwabunike said he wouldn’t want to go to jail, and cannot be compelled through any illegitimate means to recognize anyone as BoT presently.

L-R: Azeez, ANLCA Secretary; Nwabunike and Farinto

“As far as we are concerned board members of the association finished their six-year tenure in February 2020. If a court gives me an order to bring them back, I will not say no. Rather what I got was even a court judgment restraining me from recognising anybody again as board member, and that is the latest order from the court.

“In fact, am risking jail if I should sit down with anybody called BoT member until an appellate court vacates the present order, I will not call anybody, whether chairman A or B or secretary A or B, as far as Tony Iju is concerned in this association, we need to have a new board,” he stated.

The clarification however is coming on the heels of the recent news making rounds that a Lagos High Court has issued a restraining order against the Hon Iju Nwabunike led executive  committee of ANLCA from acting or performing activities on behalf of the association till hearing and determination of an interlocutory injunction brought against them by two members of  ANLCA, Mr. Olumide Fakanlu and John Nwagbaraocha as plaintiffs is determined.

Nwabunike said the association has not been served any court order to that effect, that to avert rumour mill from taking over the facts, as soon as they are served any correspondent from the court, they are bound to respond as law abiding association and citizens.

He however stated that if the rumour that Fakunle and Nwagbaraocha are plaintiffs in the purported case, that its unfortunate they are not members of the ANLCA, maintained that the association has a known and functioning secretariat wonders the delay for such correspondence from court.

“if that I saw is true, what it means is that the two people that went to court are not even eligible to be members of this association. Since I became the president of this association, I have not seen John Nwagbaraocha or Fakunle Oluminde, pay their annual subscription that makes them eligible to become members of this association.

“So, if that is true, I consider that court action null and void even before going to court.

“Somebody cannot come from anywhere, and take an institution to court without being a proper member of such a place. As far as am concerned, two of them from my record, even financial record and membership record, they have seized to be members of this association since 2018.”

The National Secretary of the association, Mukaila Azeez in his contribution stated that members of the association know the conflict resolution mechanisms in place in the association which must be explored to the later before one goes to the court in line with their constitution.

Azeez

He stated that as the secretary, he has not got any court order, wonders why anyone who calls himself or herself legitimate member would not respect the constitution of ANLCA which he said is the greatest protocol binding on anyone who has accepted to be a member.

“All the cases you have been hearing about, you can see we are still open and we are all still here, and all of them, without any exception have violated this constitution, and that’s why they can’t make any meaningful achievement at the court, they prefer to make noise.

” Section 2 of this constitution made it clear that this constitution shall be inherently and adherently held supreme, and its provision shall be binding on all persons and authorities, subject to this association.

Constitutionally, it’s going to be difficult for a member who is not even a financial member, who has not gone through arbitration mechanism to explain why this exco is not suited to remain in office, such that would make them ask court to sack the exco, it’s not possible,” Azeez stated

On the rumoured in-fighting, the president stated that though the association is old having been in existence since 1954, that pockets of problems rising up from time to time cannot be ruled out, but currently, there is no misgiving among the executive members of the association, even when they have, they have the capacity to manage them.

Farinto

The Vice President, Dr Kayode Farinto who was in attendance also corroborated the position of the president by saying that the association is big, accommodating all tribes and all classes of people, that even when there is problem, they are capable of resolving same.

“we are one big family, we don’t have crisis, because we do not have two presidents, am the vice president, I work in his stead when he is not around, that is how we work here,” Farinto stated.