From left: Financial Secretary, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents ANLCA, Hajia Bola Muse, Patron of the association, Chief Henry Njoku, National President, Hon. Iju Tony Nwabunike and another Patron of the association, Eze Mbonu during the NEC meeting held in Lagos, Friday.

Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents ANLCA has warned President Muhammadu Buhari against endorsing the proposed $3.1billion modernisation contract for the Nigeria Customs Service, saying that the country is already sinking into foreign debts, which the two-decade contract might worsen. The group therefore counsels the President and any other government official that would come across the contract documents to closely scrutinise them in the overall interest of the nation.

The association has also foreclosed any plans to elongate the tenure of elected officials whether at the national, zonal or chapter levels, saying that rumours of planned tenure elongation were peddled by disgruntled suspended and expelled members designed to seek relevance and deceive the public.

Rising from its first National Executive Council NEC meeting for 2022 held at its national headquarters in Lagos, Friday, ANLCA also urged the National Assembly to take a very close look at the details of the proposed modernisation contract to ensure that the Federal Ministry of Finance, Customs and other interested parties in the project observe due diligence so that the country is not entrapped into another debt repayment for 20 years.

National President of the association, Hon. Iju Tony Nwabunike, who spoke with newsmen shortly after the NEC meeting, observed that Nigeria is already in serious debts, warning that Customs being a strategic non-oil revenue earner for the Federal Government should not be tied to another long term loan repayment for 20 years, which might even be for something of a less value.The theme of the NEC meeting was: ‘Setting the stage for the values of Customs Brokers for the facilitation of trade in Nigeria.’

He commended the government on its recent inauguration of the expanded partnership committee on Blue Economy chaired by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, which the association considers a bold step in the right direction and also shows the commitment of the Buhari administration to grow and develop the maritime industry.

On the rumoured tenure elongation in the association, he assured that no one including himself would stay in office one day longer than provided in the constitution, insisting that for clarity, his tenure would elapse in April, 2023 as provided by the new constitution of the association.

He disclosed that having been elected in April 2018 under the old constitution, which guaranteed him two tenure of four years each, his first tenure ought to have ended in April this year but for the amendment of the constitution, which outlawed the two-tenure of eight years and adopted one single tenure of five years, which though disenfranchised him, but he had to comply in the interest of peace.

He said: “Let me use this opportunity to once again address a deliberate falsehood being peddled by about tenure elongation. There is no tenure elongation in our association. ANLCA at a duly constituted annual general meeting AGM held in Owerri, the Imo State capital on December 20, 2020, amended its constitution where a single tenure of five years was adopted as against the eight- year tenure of four years each.

“This single tenure of five years starts with my administration. Personally, I must say that it disenfranchised me from having a second term in office but I am abiding by it because that is the new rule. Accepting that bitter pill is also a personal sacrifice because we must separate leadership from selfishness.

“It is the height of mischief for persons, who have been expelled or suspended by the association to be interpreting an outdated constitution to unsuspecting members of the public with the aim of causing confusion or seeking relevance in the media. For those expelled and suspended persons, we are open to reconsidering our decision on them if they we see genuine remorse and repentance by granting them a sort of amnesty and readmitting them.

“You would recall that in the past, they sponsored fake stories about us, orchestrated physical attacks at us and attempted to illegally invade the national secretariat, all these attempts failed by the grace of God. I call on them to have a true change of heart and character for them to deploy their energies to productive ventures and enjoy peace of mind”.

While fielding questions from newsmen, the President assured that the association has already started doing a lot of things in the new year in terms of training and re-training of members towards automation of the port systems as well as imbibing the tenets of trade facilitation, including honesty and compliance with trade rules.