From left: Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents ANLCA, Chief Henry Njoku, National President of the association Hon. Tony Iju Nwabunike and Vice President of the association, Dr. Kayode Farinto during the National Executive Council Meeting NECOM, held in Abuja, Monday.

BY FRANCIS EZEM

The National Executive Committee NECOM, the highest decision making unit of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents ANLCA, has sacked the entire leadership of the Western Zone of the association ranging from the Zonal Coordinator to some chapter executives.

This is sequel to purported moves by the leadership of the zone and some chapter chairmen to take laws into their hands by attempting to collect signatures to remove the National President Hon. Tony Iju Nwabunike and in turn purportedly installed the former vice president of the association, Emenike Nwokeoji, who lost to the incumbent president at the general election of the association held March this year.

The members of the NECOM rising from its second meeting for 2018-2022 held in Abuja Monday and chaired by the National President, observed that it was gross indiscipline and disregard to the supremacy of the constitution of the association for leaders of the association in the Western Zone to purportedly remove the President, which must be frowned at and stiff sanctions meted out to culprits to serve as a deterrent to others in the future.

In a communiqué issued at the one-day meeting, which lasted for over 12-hours,  jointly signed by the National President, Hon. Iju Nwabunike and Secretary General of the association, Alhaji Abdullazeez Mukaila resolved that the Zonal Coordinator of the Western Zone, John Ofobike be sacked and in his place appointed Sunday Oyebola as the new zonal coordinator while the former zonal secretary, Aliyu Lameen was replaced with Bayo Oyekangun.

Also swept away by the Tsunami was Segun Odutan, former chairman of the Tin Can Island Pot Chapter of the association who was replaced by Ojo Akintoye while Femi Anifowose replaces Olumide Fakalu former chairman of the Apapa Port Chapter of the association.

Others include the former chairman of the Ports Multiservices Terminal Limited PTML chapter of the association, Samuel Obi, who was replaced by Waheed Adeboye even as Goddy Soleji of the Kirikiri Lighter Terminal was replaced with Chukwunso, who now takes over as the chairman of the care taker committee.

At the Seme Border chapter of the association, Patrick Ozobialu replaces Lasisi Fanu, who was until the NECOM meeting chapter chairman of the association even as the meeting is yet to take any action on the Idiroko Border and Ikorodu Lighter Terminal Chapters of the association, which would be announced in due course.

A high point of the NECOM meeting was the unanimous condemnation of the actions of the sacked former executives, by all the zonal and chapter executives present, who have sworn to uphold and defend the association’s constitution and pledged total loyalty to the Tony Iju Nwabunike-led leadership of the association.

It was further gathered that members of the NECOM were further infuriated by reports that some of the feuding chapter executives led by Taye Oyeniyi went to secretariat of the association in Lagos and placed it under lock and key, a development which members saw as affront, thus prompting these far reaching decisions.

On the issue of the crisis over the tenure of the current chairman of the Board of Trustees BOT, Chief Henry Njoku, the NECOM agreed that another election would be held some time in 2019 when his tenure is expected to elapse, having been elected at the last National Executive Council NEC meeting organised by the immediate past president of the association, Prince Olayiwola Shittu in Port Harcourt in 2017.

Meanwhile, the President had while speaking with newsmen after the meeting, commended the NECOM members for being firm and rising up to the occasion to defend the supremacy and integrity of the constitution of the association, which he insisted was supreme and override the decision of any other person or group.

He however said that as a father, he is open to discussions and dialogue with the feuding members, arguing that it does not serve anyone’s interest to war war instead of jaw jaw, insisting that he would not want to throw away the baby with the bath water, insisting that anyone of them that shows remorse would be forgiven and brought back into the fold.