Business

ANLCA seeks fed govt intervention in acquiring trucks, warehouses

Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance and Hon. Nwabunike, ANCLA President

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

The National President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Hon. Iju Nwabunike has called for a single digit loan to enable the association procure trucks, maintain warehouses, invest in logistics aided technology including tracking devises and fleet of motorcycles for E-commerce transactions.

Nwabunike who made the call in his goodwill message delivered during the 60th independent anniversary of the country also urged the Federal Ministries of Finance, Transport, Trade and Industry, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian Customs Services (NCS) and others to consider the association as professionals deserving of state support and as potential tax payers.

Emefiele, CBN Governor and Ahmed Ali, Customs Comptroller General

According to him, failure of Federal Government to meet the needs of the sector would adversely affect the economic situation of the entire nation.

He recalled that the Federal Government through the CBN and Bank of Industry (BoI) had intervened to private sector businesses by improving their viability and sustainability however no such programme had been designed for ANLCA in the freight forwarding and logistics sector of the nation’s economy.

He said that the association under his watch would open talks with government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to see how the sub sector could be integrated into government interventionist financial programmes and support initiatives.

Nwabunike who noted that Nigeria was endowed with abundant natural resources said that the 60th anniversary independence of the country should spur the nation into more positive actions for greater good of larger number of fellow compatriots.

“It has become imperative for us to reflect on the many untapped potential we have as a country, as professionals and as business men.These reflections should be geared towards making us contribute more in making Nigeria greater, united and more prosperous,” he stated.

According to him, the professional calling as logistics experts playing critical roles in E-commerce now requires the association to think beyond clearing cargoes from the ports and be the chain linking people and business together.

“We shouldn’t just be glorying in old age without commensurate maturity to match our many years of existence as a body of great professionals. We must not derail in our drive for success.

“We should continually see ourselves as part of the move to diversify Africa’s largest economy from a totally oil dependent country to a viable country making sustainable revenue from non-oil sector”, he expressed.

He said the roles of ANLCA in the import, export and supply chain management had made the association critical contributors to government revenue drive of attaining over N4 trillion by Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and supporting the Nigeria Customs Service in sustaining it’s N1trillion yearly collection.

He noted that the sector held the capacity for 50,000 direct and ancillary employments from the ports, airports, border stations, delivery chain linking warehouses and market, if properly harnessed.

Nwabunike therefore charged members of the association and professionals in line of business to keep up their patriotic acts of engaging only in legitimate deals and prompt payment of taxes to government urging the government to also reciprocate by giving the association the necessary support it required.