By Steve Agbota
Association of Nigerian Licenced Customs Agents (ANLCA), operating at the nation’s seaports has said that it will hold its forthcoming election into the National Executive Committee (NECOM), after its Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Acting President, ANLCA, Dr. Kayode Farinto, who disclosed this at the association’s secretariat in Lagos, said that its constitution allowed election 90 days before the expiration of the tenure of the current executive.
According to him, the current NECOM of the association will not spend an extra day in office, saying the process of conducting the 2023 NECOM election will be part of the decisions taken at the 2023 AGM.
However, he added that everyone is free to contest all NECOM executive positions, advising the qualified members to dust their documents to contest in any positions of their choice, whenever the ASECO starts the election process.
“I know you are all aware that the tenure of this NECOM expires on April 16, 2023 as given to us by the amended 2020 ANLCA constitution at the Owerri AGM. I want to tell you emphatically, that this NECOM will not stay one day extra in office.
“As such the process of conducting the 2023 NECOM election will be part of the decisions taken at the 2023 AGM. For your information and in accordance with ANLCA supreme constitution, within 90 days to the expiration of any NECOM tenure, election must be held to bring in new leaders and the 90 days stated counting from February.
“I want to state again here that NECOM election is free to be contested by any member of ANLCA to the various positions as far as you are cleared by the Association Electoral Commission (ASECO), nobody can stop you, if you are qualified and I employ members to dust their documents to contest in any positions of their choice, whenever the ASECO starts the election process.
“I want to say happy New Year to you all and congratulations for the peaceful and successful conduct of the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections. Let’s hope and pray the Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections coming up this Saturday goes peacefully too, so we can transit successful into another political dispensation which we all hope will bring a new lease of life to the maritime industry and Nigerians in general,” he stated.
He said that for members of the association to attend the AGM, they must be up to date in payment of their dues and other necessary requirements.
“For you to attend the 2023 AGM and any ANLCA AGM you most have a License or be a Director of a company Licensed by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and a Corporate member of ANLCA. A token of N10,000 being 2023 Annual Dues. While every other dues and conditions were waive. This was agreed to make sure nobody is left out.
“And as I speak with you over 200 of our members have registered for the 2023 AGM going through the normal process of verification and authentication of any licensed presented and the position of the company representatives, which must be a Director level in such company and the process has been going smoothly and is ongoing.
“I want to state here emphatically and to be on record that, anybody that wants to attend the 2023 ANLCA AGM must pass through the normal process as contained in the ANLCA constitution, no matter your position in ANLCA. I have done mine and I expect others to do theirs too.
“Again, for the records too, the duo’s data base of ANLCA members is domiciled in the National Secretary office and anybody that wants to attend the AGM must clear his/ herself in that office. I want to state that, anybody that somewhere to collate licenses without clearing from the National Secretary office to authenticate the genuineness or otherwise of such Licenses will not be accepted. ANLCA is a constituted Association, and we all agreed to follow our constitution and that is sacrosanct,” he said.