Chairman Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha, has charged the aggrieved members to shun violence in order to look for a better way to solve the leadership crisis rocking the association.
Mustapha gave the charge last week, during the swearing in ceremony of elected chapter chairmen and other subordinate officers in Tin Can Island and Seme chapters, including Kirikiri Lighter Terminals, where election was conducted for the office of the Vice Chairman, downwards and a by-election was done for the Lagos Airport Chapter earlier on Tuesday.
According to him, there is need to avoid violence by all means, adding that whatever they cannot achieve in a peaceful, it would be difficult to achieve it with violence.
However, he also enjoined newly elected chapter executives into its Western Zone to rededicate themselves to the service of members of the association, eschew bitterness and rancor, and to remain above board in the discharge of both their professional and association duties.
While presenting Certificate of Returns to the elected officers, he urged them to strive to lift up the image and voice of ANLCA once again in their respective chapters, urging them to continue to cultivate peace even amongst those presently opposed to peaceful resolution of the crisis that has bedeviled the association, which is over two years now.
“Our members are angry, some gather at Tin Can and said they were going to storm the National Secretariat and take it over. We appealed to them not; I believe that what you cannot resolve peacefully may not be completely resolved with violence. I appeal to every one of us not to consider violence; we must remain peaceful and continue to pursue the path of resolution of this crisis.
“When we conducted the elections at Airport chapter, Mukaila said that our elections are illegal. We are waiting for them to upturn what we have done. We are the duly registered BoT of ANLCA, the law recognizes the impostors. My advice to all the chapter chairmen and other zonal officers that have been elected today including those elected at the Airport earlier is that you remain above board,” he added.
Secretary of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of ANLCA, Prince Taiye Oyeniyi said the crisis in the association has made members vulnerable in the hands of customs officers, shipping companies and terminal operators.
“Customs have been taking advantage of us to do whatever they like to the agents. When you see a young officer posted to Tin Can Island Port, within six months, he would start driving a brand new car of N6 million, the question is where did he get the money?” he lamented.
