ANLCA boss, Shittu, bares fangs, sacks top aide over agents’ P/H Monday confab
• May sanction ex-President, Elochukwu
The National President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu, is miffed at those members who ignored his directive to boycott a scheduled registered freight forwarders meeting convened by an ex-National President of ANLCA, Sir Ernest Elochukwu, and held in the Rivers State capital, Port-Harcourt, on Monday.
One ready casualty of Shittu’s angst over the meeting is the erstwhile Presidential Liaison Officer (PLO), East, Dr. Mayor Nwachukwu Ikwecheghe, who was relieved via a TERMINATION OF APPOINTMENT letter dated August 5, 2013, and signed by the ANLCA Director-General, Bro. Chukwudi Ike, on behalf of the National Secretary.
The letter stated: “You are hereby relieved of your appointment as Presidential Liaison Officer (East) with immediate effect for non-performance and for actions contrary to the terms of your engagement.
“You are therefore required to immediately hand over to the Zonal Coordinator, East, all ANLCA official materials in your custody relating to your former office.”
While Elochukwu had been the convener of the meeting, Ikwecheghe, it was learnt, served as the key foot soldier for its organisation.
It was gathered that just as the hammer has descended on the former PLO, the ANLCA leadership may soon sanction the meeting’s convener.
SHIPS & PORTS DAILY Tuesday edition had reported that ANLCA and the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) had barred by their leaders from attending a registered freight forwarders meeting spearheaded by Elochukwu.
Shittu told SHIPS & PORTS DAILY on Monday that he ordered the boycott of the meeting scheduled to hold that same day at Tokyu Grand Hotel,Port Harcourt, Rivers State, because, according to him, it was “illegal”. He had said: “Members of ANLCA have been advised to stay away from the so-called meeting. We will not hesitate to sanction any of our members who fail to comply with this directive.”
The ANLCA National President had said that the motive of the organisers of the meeting “was not in good faith.”
He had said: “It is unfortunate that our former President got himself involved. Is it possible for a gathering to be called without the leadership of ANLCA being informed? Therefore, it is illegal! They did it the first time we thought it was just a normal gathering. Though (Sir Mike) Jukwe was there, we didn’t bother, because as the Registrar of CRFFN (Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria) can call meeting. But when we got text inviting our members to a gathering, the purpose for which we know is not in the interest of ANLCA, we cannot accept going there. So, it is illegal as far as we are concerned. If a former president of ANLCA is involved and he respects the office of the president, the seat he once occupied and he doesn’t deem it fit to get the president involved in such an organisation; then his motive is questionable.”
In the same vein, Founder, NAGAFF, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, had directed the association’s Deputy National President, South-East zone, Eze Atu Mike Okechukwu, to ensure that no member of the association participated in the scheduled Port-Harcourt meeting.
Aniebonam had said that the agenda of the meeting was questionable, especially, according to him, with the involvement of members of the former Governing Councils of the CRFFN.
On his part, Elochukwu had told SHIPS & PORTS DAILY that he was surprised at the boycott directives by the leading freight forwarding associations.
The former ANLCA President had said that the meeting would hold despite the posture of the associations.
While admitting that he may not have informed the leaders of ANLCA and NAGAFF beforehand, Elochukwu had said that he convened the meeting in his capacity as Chairman of a Stakeholders Committee set up recently to revive the comatose CRFFN.
SHIPS & PORTS DAILY further reported that, despite the associations’ boycott orders, however, the meeting held as scheduled, with former Chairman of the CRFFN Governing Council, Alhaji Hakeem Olanrewaju, and a few other notable freight forwarders in the Eastern and South-South part of the country in attendance.
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