1 week ago
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…Appeals for reopening
By Adewale Sanyaolu
Members of the Lagos Airport chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) have appealed to the Airport Commandant, Mrs.Chioma Udo, to immediately reopen the association’s secretariat in order to allow members carry out their legitimate business.
Addressing the media in Lagos yesterday, Managing Director of Marktouch Shipping Lines Limited, Mr.Makinde Ladipo Aremu, said since the secretariat was allegedly shut by the Airport Commandant on February 5, 2025, the federal government has lost revenue in excess of N500 billion.
Aremu explained that despite a subsisting court order recognising the current ANCLA Murtala Muhammed Airport Chapter executives, the secretariat has remained shut ever since.
He maintained that there has never been any instance of fracas or disagreement among ANCLA members that would warrant the intervention of security agencies, let alone a situation of security breach that would have led to sealing up the secretariat.
He pointed out that the association is one of the major stakeholders involved in assisting the Nigerian Customs Service in meeting its revenue target.
Aremu lamented that the development has grossly affected the operations of ANCLA members in meeting their assigned roles while the livelihood and welfare of several members and other critical stakeholders are being impacted.
Aremu alleged further that the Commandant was aware of a pending suit before a Lagos High Court which had ordered that status quo be maintained till determination of the substantive suit.
He said members of ANLCA are law-abiding citizens who would not do anything to truncate the peace within the Airport environment, hence the decision of all members to steer clear of the Secretariat.
“While we will allow the rule of law to take its full course. What we will not allow is the intimidation and harassment of our members through the guise of military mite.
We are using this medium to appeal to the Commandant to desist from interfering in a matter that is already before a court of competent jurisdiction.
“The Muritala Muhammed Airport Command
(MMAC) executives of ANCLA went to court for proper interpretation of ANLCA constitution considering the security and sensitivity of the Airport environment.”
Also speaking, Chief Executive Officer of Fabk Olympic Global Services Limited, Mr. Olufemi Oladimeji said, “The court order restraining all parties to maintain status quo appears to have been ignored by the Airport Commandant.
All efforts to make her see reasons why she cannot adjudicate on this matter since the matter is still in court has proved abortive,”.
ANCLA, however, cautioned that the continuous shutdown of its Secretariat was capable of degenerating into deeper crisis, which it has managed to avert till date because members are fast running out of patience.
For his part, Managing Director of Bestdestiny Express Logistics and Allied Services Limited, Mr. Nwokoma Lawrence Ohuoba said, “We could not collate and moderate members registration for the ongoing FAAN registration and data capturing, hence our appeal.This is necessary because we’ll not be responsible for any crisis caused by the obstruction of members businesses because we have been inaudanted with unlawful entrance which have been on the increase in order to indict our members should there by any form of security breach,”.
Efforts to reach Udo, however, proved abortive as WhatsApp and text messages to her telephone went unanswered
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