The protracted crises, bickerings and division that characterized the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents ( ANLCA) seems to have raised it’s ugly head again, barely six months after conducting it’s National Executive Committee ( NECOM) election last year.
The latest roforofo seems to have sparked off between the Board of Trustees Chairman, Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha and the now resigned Association Electorial Commission (ASECO ), Chairman, Nze Aloy Igwe . Nze Aloy Igwe who conducted the August 2023 NECOM election of the ANLCA resigned his position on Tuesday.
Though, the ANLCA NECOM has accepted his resignation letter, but Nze Aloy Igwe is being alleged of not giving a proper account of his stewardship as the ASECO Chairman .
In defending himself and putting the records straight, Nze Aloy Igwe has accused the BOT Chairman of ANLCA, Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha of giving the evil narratives to the public to tarnish his image.
In a statement made available to our Correspondent, the former ASECO Chairman said he and his team has tendered an accurate account which was received by the NECOM and accused the ANLCA , BOT Chairman of thinking he is the law and order in ANLCA.
His statement which is titled :
“THE EVIL NARRATIVES IN THE EYES OF ALHAJI TAIWO MUSTAPHA”, reads:
“My attention has been drawn to a publication of an online outlet wherein the BOT Chairman of ANLCA alleged that I failed to give report/account of the NECOM election of September, 2023. The allegation is totally false and should be disregarded by the general public. I will come back to that shortly.
“The allegation that evil narrative was thrown at journalist presumably by me is equally false and unfounded. My resignation letter was addressed to the National President of ANLCA in form of internal memo. It was not released to the press and up till this moment I have not spoken to any journalist . It is NECOM that chose to accept my resignation letter in form of Press Statement in which they equally released my resignation letter to the public.
“The challenge ASECO had was various postponements that affected logistics hence the supplementary budget. Having said that, immediately after the inauguration of the new NECOM on 23rd November, 2023, we met and reconciled the account which we submitted alongside the report to the National President and copied the BOT. So the account Alhaji Mustapha claimed we did not submit should be with him. The National Secretary received and acknowledged our report on behalf of NECOM. The acknowledged copy is hereby attached for our perusal.
“Record of all expenses as disbursed to each ASECO member and the purpose for the disbursement are fully captured and attached to the report. All members of ASECO consented to the report.
“Moreover, the budget for election and supplementary budget therein was sent to BOT which they exhaustively scrutinised and approved before releasing fund to ASECO. We religiously adhered to the budget. Hence our report is in compliance and fulfillment of our adherence to due diligence and accountability.
“Being ASECO Chairman was not a job I jumped to. Stakeholders wanted me to be there because they are convinced that I will be neutral, fair and just to all irrespective of faction or divide as it then was in ANLCA. I rose from the ranks in ANLCA, from Chapter EXCO member to Vice Chairman and eventually the Chairman of MMA Cargo Chapter. My antecedents is there, my impact on the association is well known to all. The contribution of my Chapter under my watch to the acquisition of the National Secretariat is still fresh in the memory of my professional colleagues.
“My resignation as ASECO Chairman is as a result of the suffocating foul air in the association. The BOT Chairman thinks he is the law and order in ANLCA. He does not obey simple rule, he does not understand the provision of ANLCA Constitution as concerns BOT.
“He does not understand how association should be ran. He is hell bent on usurping powers he does not have. His attitude is annoying and that was why I quietly decided to leave without making noise about it. Unfortunately, he thinks that the best way to harm me is to bring allegation that I did not render account of my stewardship as ASECO Chairman.
“It is important to state that at a meeting supervised by the regulatory body – CRFFN at Eko Hotels that 8 members of BOT, 4 from each faction and 8 members of ASECO, 4 members on each faction were appointed. The arrangement was for ASECO to organise NECOM election first and BOT election a month after. But after NECOM election, it seems that some BOT members are afraid to face AGM for election, they, especially the Chairman has been playing games and tinkering the idea of dissolving ASECO which was appointed just like them. He has no such powers. The arrangement was not for BOT to remain there in perpetuity. They were not elected.
“Mustapha’s fear is understandable because if the level of transparency and fairness exhibited at the NECOM election last September is applied, someone like him won’t return elected. Overwhelming majority of ANLCA members and even his colleagues are sick of his penchant to act as if he is the National President. So he is desirous to put a Chairman of ASECO that will return him elected and if you don’t like it… Go to Court.
“Alhaji Mustapha is less than 10 years in ANLCA and he has refused to learn the ropes. He feast on crisis and whenever there seem to be peace, he creates crisis. I decided to leave and I submitted my resignation letter quietly without involving anyone or press and NECOM accepted my resignation, thanked me for my services and wished me well in future endeavours. But Mustapha took it from there and brought false allegation against me.
“It is clear that the problem we have in ANLCA is Alhaji Mustapha, because ever since he joined BOT, he sticks to the Chairmanship position as if his life depends on it. You can see that he is the one throwing evil narrative to the public, because he knows that his continued Chairmanship of BOT is illegal and the only way he can sustain that is to create crisis and that was basically why I resigned.
“The man feeds on crisis and this crisis he has regenerated, let’s hope ANLCA will come out of it stronger. I don’t think that stakeholders will fold their hands and watch a green horn who knows very little about ANLCA to bring the Association to ruin and disrepute.
-Nze Aloy Emeka Igwe.”
