The lingering crisis in the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) is likely to be laid to rest in the next two weeks as the President in agreement with members of the Executive Committee has scheduled a meeting to elect new members of the Board of Trustees.
Fingers have been pointed to the members of the board as the problem of the Association because while four out of the nine board members vacated office after the expiry of the tenure in January this year, five of them refused but vowed to cling to their positions which has polarized the association and created serious bad blood.
While some stakeholders believe that the Iju Tony Nwabunike led Executive Committee is too soft, which has allowed the crisis to linger, the President himself thinks otherwise, but noted that he has pursued peace to bring every member of the association together instead of dividing more.
He however told journalists at an enlarged briefing yesterday at the ANCLA headquarters in Lagos that “Enough is enough,” as the Exco is set to deal with the monster once and for all.
“We are going to have a new board in the next two weeks,” Nwabunike said, adding that already interested members have started buying forms.
Most stakeholders are baffled that having stayed six years in office, members of the board are bent on not vacating office in deference to the constitution guiding the association.
At the briefing , journalists sought to know the honey pot that is in the board that made these people to vow to use every means to cling to their position even after the expiry of their tenure.
Some stakeholders have also suggested that the board should be made less attractive to stem this crisis that tends to consume the longest clearing agents association in the maritime industry.
Nwabunike told the media yesterday that among the five members that have refused to honour the constitution are Taiwo Mustapha, Ernest Eochukwu, Dayo Abdulaziz and Dennis Okafor.
The Iju Tony Nwabunike led executive committee is the most fought leadership since the inception of ANCLA. The leadership has been taken to court eight times, received threatening text messages, and the office invaded with the intention to assassinate some of the members.
Picture: Iju Tony Nwabunike, National President, ANCLA