ANLCA to propose bill for Institute of Chartered Customs Brokers — as Nwabunike vows to professionalise freight forwarding in Nigeria

Funso Olojo

The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents(ANLCA)is putting together a bill for the establishment of Institute of Chartered Customs Brokers to the National Assembly.

The move is part of the multi-prong approach being adopted by the National President of ANLCA, Tony Iju Nwabunike, to professionalise customs brokage in the country.

In an exclusive interview with our correspondent, Nwabunike expressed consuming passion to raise the standard of customs brokers in the country to world standard.

He said that he would use his contacts in the National Assembly to push through the bill which, when passed into law, would charter customs brokers in the country.

“We have intention to set up Institute of Chartered Customs Brokers. We are going to sponsor a bill in the National Assembly and we hope to pull it through in record time.

“We want to Charter ourselves like other professionals such as Accountants, Engeneers, Surveyors.

“We want an average customs broker to know his onion so he can command respect worldwide”, Nwabunike declared.

The ANLCA president,who unfolded his three-year master plan to reposition the association, stated that training and retraining his members would be his priority in a bid to modernise the operations of freight forwarders that would put them on the same pedestal with their counterparts in the developed countries.

He disclosed that the activities at the association’s headquarters are already being automated.

“We also want to interface with other government agencies in the ports like Customs, SON, NAFDAC, NDLEA and the rest of them on training of our members”.

Nwabunike also promised to resolve different operational challenges facing his members at the ports through collaborative efforts with the relevant government agencies to deepen relationship between the two parties.

“When we have a deep relationship with these agencies , it will become easier to sort out these challenges. It will be a one -stop shop kind of interaction that will bring mutual understanding among ourselves”

He however enjoined customs brokers to play by the rules of the game by complying with the guidelines of clearing procedures at the ports.

He also wanted them to educate their clients who are importers on the need to be compliant with the extant laws.

“More importantly, we must play by the rules. We must be compliant with the guidelines on clearing procedures in order to starve off some of these challenges.

“We also need to educate our clients, the importers, on the need to know the guidelines and procedures on importations, what to bring in and what not to import so there will not be tension between the customs brokers and the Customs” he admonished.

Nwabunike said in as much as he regretted the crisis going on in the Board of Trustees of the association, the unfortunate incident will not derail his vision for ANLCA.

He further dismissed what he called insinuations that there is crisis in ANLCA, saying the association is one indivisible family.

” As far as I am concerned, there is no crisis in ANLCA. My administration remains intact. My NECOM is intact.

“Yes there is a leadership crisis in the board of ANLCA but that has never affected the smooth and robust day to day running of the association.

“This has never affected my objective and resolve to reposition the association and take it to an enviable position that will be a pride to all members.

“Neither has the rumpus in the board of ANLCA derailed my vision of posperity , professionalism and sustainable growth and development I have of the association.

“In fact , it has emboldened my determination to succeed in my desire to take the association to the greater height that will defile and confound those who have written us off.

“I have the support and cooperation of all the chapters in the Western zone who have given me the mandate to go ahead despite this avoidable distractions”, Nwabunike declared in animated voice.

He lampooned those whom he accused of promoting hate and division in the association, calling on them to join hands with him to build a strong, virile and indivisible association that would be the pride of every member.

Nwabunike expressed surprise why the disagreement among “our elders in the BOT”should be the the topic that will engage the attention of some people when there are mounting problems confronting the maritime industry which he said they should have deployed their energy in solving.

“We have whole lot of problems confronting the industry and its practitioners.

“Why can’t we talk about the foreigners who have taken over everything in the industry, customs brokage, shipping, terminal operations?

“Why don’t we deploy our energies to find out if these foreigners are engaged in capital flight?

“Can’t we question why we have multiplicity of agencies at the ports?

“Why don’t we query the multiple tables in customs clearance?

“Why don’t we bend our brains to resolving the protracted Traffic gridlock in Apapa?

“Why can’t we discuss how the Eastern ports and the Inland Container Deposits(ICDs) could be revived to take pressure from Lagos ports?

‘Why are we not concerned with the continued inability of government to employ multi-modal transportation system to take containers out of the ports instead of still relying on the use of road transport that is overstretched with decayed roads infrastructure? ” Nwabunike declared in an emotion-laden voice.

He however said his administration will engage the National Assembly to enact relevant laws that will tackle some of these problems.

(See the full interview tomorrow on this platform)