ANLCA Crisis: Naked Dance in the market Square

The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) is racing against time.

The association, reputed to be the first and oldest freight forwarding groups in Nigeria, is embroiled in a crisis that could define its corporate existence

In March, 2018, the association held its elections which ushered in a new National Executive Council led by Tony Iju Nwabunike who emerged as the President with a slim margin over his rival, Emenike Nwokeoji.

The following month, April, elections were also held into the Board of Trustees of the Association.

Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha was said to have defeated the incumbent, Chief Henry Njoku who was said to have been on the seat for over 10 years.

Chief Njoku was said to have rejected the outcome of the elections and refused to vacate the seat, allegedly emboldened by the tacit support of the President of the Association, Tony Nwabunike.

Since then, for eight months running, the association has not known peace.

In the intervening period, the association has witnessed interplay of intrigues, intense political horse -trading, brit-bats, accusations and counter-accusations, blame-trading, name -callings and mud-slinging which culminated in polarisation and eventual splitting of the association.

The unfolding drama suggests that the crisis is far from being over.

We are saddened by the ongoing show of shame in the association that is supposed to be the flagship of freight forwarding associations in the country.

Our emotion was made poignant by the damage this intractable crisis is capable of doing to the integrity of the players in the freight forwarding profession.

ANLCA was established in 1954 and has come to define the freight forwarding practice in the country.

All other freight forwarding associations owe their existence to this great body.

As a result, ANLCA has become a reference point for professionalism, orderliness, organisational abilities and internal democracy that it has earned as a result of long years of existence.

However, all these attributes are about to be lost on the altar of greed, ego and self-preservation.

Yes, we believe this avoidable crisis was sparked off by individual greed and personal aggrandizement;  two, inordinate attributes of those who are hell-bent on  plunging ANLCA into endless war of attrition.

We believe that a leader who is desirous of serving his people would not want to do so at the detriment of the corporate existence of the platform on which he wishes to serve.

Neither will he do so at the expense of the same people he wishes to serve.

We at nigeriamaritime360.com view the raging crisis in ANLCA as needless and inordinate which has exposed the selfish intentions of the gladiators.

We are in no doubt that the founding fathers and other past leaders of ANLCA who had worked tirelessly to build this association into a great and virile body would wince at the level of corrosive effect the action of the present leadership has had on the association.

Our fear is further heightened by the fact that the gladiators are still at the throats of one another, as we write.

A factional group led by the Western Zonal Coordinator of the association, John Oforbike, has purportedly excised the Western Zone, comprising Apapa, Tin Can Island, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Seme, Idiroko,  Kirikiri Lighter Terminal and PTML chapters from the main association, while electing Emenike Nwokeoji as their President and vowing not to recognise Nwabunike as their President.

The Executive Council, in a counter move, suspended all the chapter chairmen, as well as few members of the National Executive members suspected to have sympathy for the break -away group and Oforbike, who is the rally point for the splinter group while replacing them with a caretaker committee.

The suspended members have dared the National Executives, saying they remained immovable while warning the caretaker committee members to steer clear.

It was a battle of wit and a stand-off between the two groups which is threatening to further plunge the association into deeper crisis, if nothing is done.

The signs are ominous and it is only the quick intervention of the past leaders of the association that could stave off what could be a great conflagration that could consume the 64-year old freight forwarding group.

It is as a result of this we call on the well-meaning leaders of the association to intervene in this needless battle of supremacy before the legacy they bequeathed on the present crop of leaders and members goes up in flame.

We also want to appeal to the National President of the association, Nwabunike, to rise up to the occasion and take a decisive step to douse the tension.

His present non-commitant disposition, to our mind, is unpresidential and a great disservice to the ideal which the association stands for.

He should ensure justice and fair play.

We shall resist the temptation of believing what we regard as a rumour that he was giving Chief Njoku an impetus to dig his feet deep as the BOT Chairman despite his defeat and the mutually agreed process of his disengagement which he allegedly violated.

We want to equally appeal to the conscience of Chief Njoku to tow the path of honour and peace by relinquishing the post he was said to have lost to Taiwo Mustapha as the BOT Chairman.

This singular act will not only put an end to this war of attrition but prevent the association from going over the precipice.

He would be remembered afterwards as a hero and not a valiant.

Afterall, the present enviable position of Chief Njoku as the Vice Chairman of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) to us is enough compensation for the assumed loss of ANLCA BOT Chairmanship.

Also, we believe that taking a decisive step to resolving the impasse in ANLCA would allow Nwabunike to concentrate on his political career that may eventually earn him a seat in the House of Representatives in 2019.

It is said that when two Elephants fight, the grass suffers.

Unfortunately, while these shenanigans are going on, members who are supposed to be served are now like sheep without shepherd, left unattended to while the freight forwarding profession which the leadership is supposed to protect and edify is being desecrated by this avoidable and needless crisis.

We therefore appeal to the warring parties to sheathe their swords in the interest of peace and the well-being of members they were elected to serve and in the larger interest of the freight forwarding profession.

They should allow the collective interests of members override their own personal interests.

That is the hallmark of responsible and responsive leadership.

Our appeal is predicated on our concerns that as long as this “mud-fight” continues, it will bring public odium to the oldest freight forwarding group in Nigeria.

The gladiators should therefore end this public show of their naked dance in the market square which is embarrassing to the well-meaning stakeholders, the founding fathers of the association and stakeholders generally.

© 2018, maritimemag. All rights reserved.