ANLCA Divided Over Farinto’s Statement on Ease of Doing Business at Port - as stakeholders accuse group of blackmail

Funso Olojo I

There seems to be a visible crack in the National Executive Council of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents(ANLCA) over its stance on the presidential order on ease of doing business at the port.

The association had complained to the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman on the excesses and non-compliant attitude of some government agencies to the Executive order to which she has promised to report to the presidency.

However, consequent upon this, Kayode Farinto, the Vice-President of ANLCA, on behalf of the association, issued a statement, calling for the suspension of Executive order and declaration of State of Emergency in the maritime sector due to the flagrant disregard of some agencies of Government to the order.

We hereby call for state of Emergency or better Suspend Ease of Doing Business in the maritime sector ” because it is not working. Ministries,Directorates and Agencies (MDA’s) behave to be bigger than the Federal Government, they are working for and also floutting (sic)orders given by Nigerian Ports Authority with impunity and no sanctions(sic) meted to them. Are they now bigger than the country? he asked rhetorically.
“still “we don’t need to pretend that there is total systems (sic) collapse in the maritime industry. Hence the FG should stop deciving(sic) Nigerians and stop shoutting(sic) about Ease of doing business because it has been abuse(sic)”the exact words of Farinto in the statement.

However. Joe Sanni, the National Publicity Secretary of ANLCA, disowned the statement and said that could not have represented the official position of ANCLA.

“I am not aware of the press release. Was it written on the official letter-headed paper of ANCLA? “he queried.

Sanni explained that if it was an official position of the association, the statement, which, by inference, he must have seen, would have been on the official letter -head of the association, signed by Farinto as the Acting President and counter -signed by him as the official spokesman for the association.

“Did they tell you I signed it?’ he asked rhetorically, adding that if the purported statement was the official position, then Farinto would not have included the name of his company in the statement.

However, a source who was the courier of the press release swore that both Farinto and Sanni endorsed the statement.

“The are just playing politics”, the source who acts as media aid to Farinto, declare.

However, stakeholders have dismissed the statement as an attempt by ANLCA to blackmail the government.

They wondered how a responsible group would canvass for the suspension of a presidential order meant to bring sanity into the system.

Boniface Aniebonam, the Founder of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders( NAGAFF) was amused by the statement.

“What is there to suspend? , he asked sarcastically.

He said the order is not an Act but a pronouncement made by government on how to facilitate trade.

“It doesn’t make sense to me. The person who made the statement does not know what he was saying” he said with a hint of irritation.

Akintoye Ojo, a Tin Can Port-based Customs Broker finds the call for the suspension as absurd and unnecessary.

“You can’t throw away the baby with bath water. If some agencies are not complying now, with our persistent pressure and monitoring and complaints, they would comply in the long run. It can only get better.

“It is not enough to call for the suspension of a presidential order meant to sanitise the way business is done at the ports simply because some agencies are not complying. That is not the solution “Mr Ojo declared.

Another operator who craved for anonymity lambasted the ANLCA ,accusing the association of hypocrisy.

“They (Customs Brokers )are the worst offenders. They are the ones compromising the effectiveness of the order as a result of their corrupt attitude.

“They are the ones who will make under declarations, engage in falsification, concealment and importation of contraband goods and in the process ,attempt to compromise Customs officers through bribes.

“Some of their members also engage in touting and other nefarious activities which are some of the ills the presidential order is meant to address.

“It is laughable and height of hypocrisy for ANCLA or any customs broker to call for the suspension of the order simply because some agencies are not complying.

Do they comply themselves? ” the source queried.

“The whole statement, to me, smacks of selfishness and an inordinate attempt to arm- twist government in relaxing its strict monitoring of the activities of some of these miscreants at the ports”, another stakeholder observed.

“By calling for the suspension of the Executive order meant to sanitise the sector and eradicate touting is so unfortunately because it suggests they are the ones encouraging touting at the port”, another source alleged.

However, the open disagreement among the top hierarchy of ANLCA and the absence of harmony and cohesion to find a common position on a matter of public importance further highlights the deepening rift in the association.

It would be recalled, that there is no truce yet over the composition of the Board of the association which has set the board on a collision course with the President, Tony Iju Nwabunike.