National President of ANLCA, Hon. Iju Tony Nwabunike.

The Abuja and Eastern chapters of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents ANLCA have declared their support and unalloyed loyalty to the incumbent National Executive Committee NECOM of the association led by the National President, Hon. Iju Tony Nwabunike and Vice President, Dr. Kayode Farinto.

In a separate communique issued after their meetings on the ongoing crisis in the association, both chapters condemned in strong terms, the invasion of the national secretariat by persons they described as hoodlums and expelled members of the association on August 24, 2022, insisting that changing a democratically elected NECOM must be through the ballot and not crude force and violence.

In a statement jointly signed by leaders and elders of the Eastern Zone of the association comprising Sir Joshua Ahuama, Okere Celestina, Onyema Charles, chief Ndukwe Job, Leonard Nwankwo, Francis Emaibe, Williams Aruotune, Kingsley Eze, Michael Ebeatu and Onwuka Emmanuel, the zone described the invasion of the secretariat for the second time in the last one year as “acts of wanton thuggery”

The statement reads in part: “We wish to state categorically clear that the members, leadership and elders of the Eastern Zone of ANLCA are solidly behind the Iju Tony Nwabunike and Dr. Farinto Collins Kayode-led National Executive Committee NECOM, who were democratically elected by all the chapters.

“This statement has become necessary and expedient in order to make our position as a chapter clear and to properly guide members of the public, especially the shipping and trading community on the misinformation already trending on some social media platforms.

“The zone also wishes to dissociate itself from any act that prejudices the decisions of the National Executive Council NEC and the ANLCA Supreme Constitution as amended on 16 December 2020.

“That any action, appointments, and directives by the former members of the Board of Trustees, whose tenure has elapsed since February 2020 is null and void as far as the Eastern Zone is concerned.

“That any action or inaction such as elections, appointments, and constituting of committees that are not in line with the ANLCA Supreme Constitution is illegal within the tenets of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents.”

Meanwhile, in six-point communique issued by the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja chapter of the association signed by Abdulsalam A.A., Prince Badmos Ayobami Oni, Mr. Yekini Ahmed, Dauda Momoh E and Yusuf Yahaya Ohiani, the chapter condemned the invasion of the national secretariat of the association.

Other signatories to the communique include Okon Etim, Siyaka Rufai, Momoh Abdulhameed Onets, Shaibu Nurudeen Owuda and Salawudeen Habibu.

The communique reads in part: “That the ANLCA Abuja chapter condemns unequivocally the wanton act of thuggery at the ANLCA national secretariat on Wednesday, August 24, 2022. The Abuja chapter is solidly behind Iju Tony Nwabunike-led NECOM and the acting National President, Dr. Kayode Farinto.

“We dissociate ourselves from any act that prejudices the decision of the NEC and the ANLCA Supreme constitution as amended on December 16, 2020. That any action, appointments and directives by the former members of the BOT, whose tenure has since elapsed two year ago is null and void as far as we are concerned.

“That any action or inaction that is in aberration of elections, appointments and committees as stipulated in the ANLCA Supreme Constitution is illegal within the tenets of the ANLCA system. We issue this press statement to guide the public on the misinformation trending on social media.”

Recall that some members of the former BOT, led by its chairman had last week employed the services of some thugs to invade the association’s secretariat located at Amuwo-Odofin area of Lagos while the NECOM members, led by the acting National President, Farinto were on a tour of the Lekki Deep Seaport.

This led to the sealing off of the secretariat by the Festac Divisional headquarters of the Nigeria Police as part of measures to forestall a breakdown of law and order and to ultimately restore peace in the association, which has been in the news in the recent past for the wrong reason.