The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ANCLA

  • ‘I’m ANCLA’s authentic chairman’

    CHAIRMAN of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) Temitope Pius Akindele has debunked rumours a sole administrator will be appointed to run the association following expiration of the tenure of the executive.

    He described the news as “mere rumour, empty threats and illegal”.

    Akindele, who addressed reporters yesterday, said those spreading the rumour were making empty threats because attempts to appoint a sole administrator after an election was contested, won and certificate issued to the winner, was illegal.

    He said: “It is known that the western zone of our association was due for elections. We have nine chapters in the zone. The body charged with conducting elections is the board of trustees. The board of would appoint an Association of Electoral Commission (ASECO) to conduct the elections.

    “After I contested and won the election, the certificate of return was issued to me; the copy is with me. The fact is there is nowhere, from Section 1 to Section 33 of our Constitution, which specifies that a sole administrator be appointed.

    “The term of current chairman expired yesterday. A certificate has been given to me to occupy the seat today, so there is nothing like interim or appointment of a sole administrator to run the association.”

  • NAHCO donates bus to ANCLA

    THE Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (nahco aviance) has donated a brand new  Toyota Hiace bus to the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) NAHCO.

    During the presentation at the company’s head office in Ikeja, Lagos, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Norbert Bielderman, said NAHCO considers ANLCA as vital to its  groundhandling business. He said NAHCO places premuim on the welfare of ANLCA and its members.

    Chairman of ANLCA, Mr Aloy Igwe; the Vice Chairman, Bola Ashiru-Balogun, and other excutive members expressed the appreciation  to Nahco’s management.

    He said NAHCO by its gesture was solidifying their relationship.

    According to Igwe, ANLCA has a good relationship with NAHCO. In his words: “A good relationship already exists but this will only strengthen the tie even more.”

    Both bodies pledged to sustain the  relationship between them and sought for cooperation in new areas.

    After the handing over, Igwe drove the bus round with NAHCO and ANLCA officials in the bus.

    At the event were the company’s Secretary, Mrs. Folasade Ode; Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Hassan Yahaya; Head Corporate Services, Ahmed Bashir Gulma; Chief Commercial Officer, Seyi Adewale and  Head, Special Projects, Keleshi Amaeshi.

     

  • Stakeholders challenge govt on ports’access roads

    Stakeholders challenge govt on ports’access roads

    The National Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANCLA), the Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) other stakeholders in the maritime industry have lamented the gridlock on the Oshodi-Apapa and the Ijora-Apapa Expressways. They urged the federal and state governments to find solutions to the  problem they say is crippling their business.

    The stakeholders said some of their members have been forced to close shop due to the problem they are facing while going and coming from the ports.

    The Chairman, Export Group of NACCIMA, Mr Oluyenuwo Olabisi said the congestion and long queue of vehicles were creating  problems for his group because their containers are sometimes turned back, while most of the time they miss their ships, leading to huge losses for their members.

    He also called on the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to address the delays suffered by exporters, saying priority should be given to the exporters, as against empty containers that go into the ports.

    ANCLA’s National President, Alhaji Olayiwola Shittu also said the bad state of ports’ access roads is affecting businesses within the port.

    Shittu said the bad roads leading in and out of the port are the cause of major challenges  being experienced by stakeholders.

    He called for the reconstruction of the rail tracks in the port to ameliorate the challenges of haulage businesses and ensure prompt movement of cargoes in and out of the ports.

    The ANCLA chief lamented that some of the concessionaires do not have enough capacity for containers which is impacting negatively to the gridlock experienced in the transportation of the containers.

     

     

    The Executive Director of Administration and Human Resources of the Port and Cargo Terminal at Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, Sifax Group; Dr. Phil Ofulue said most of the haulage trucks operating at the port are too old and rickety.

    He blamed the State and Federal Government for not paying adequate attention to the roads despite several consultations from stakeholders.

    “The implication is that a trip that can cost you 10 minutes will probably take a whole day, because sometimes the trucks are rickety and are not well maintained, they are frequently breaking down, often times we have containers falling off the trucks and killing human beings”, he lamented.

    “And at a higher level, we are praying that the idea of revitalising the railways will come up because if you go into the port you will see that the rail tracks are there, they are inbuilt, they have been there right from time to be part of the port system, if the railways are revitalized and become operational, it will ease pressure”, he added.

    Ofulue expressed optimism that once the road challenges are addressed, it will improve the turn- around time of vessels at the port.

    He however also blamed the situation on the recklessness of truck drivers and lack of adherence to laid down traffic rules by other road users, especially the truck drivers and the other public transporters.

  • Agents threaten legal action over illegal charges

    The Association of Licensed Customs Agent ( ANCLA) has  vowed to seek redress  in court over the collection of illegal charges by international cargo airlines flying into Nigeria.

    The association described the controversial collection of such illegal charges by the carriers as  an avenue to steal money from Nigerians .

    The body said it would enlist the global partner, World Customs  Brokers Organisation, to press charges against the foreign carriers which are exploiting spurious excuses to extort money from cargo agents in  the country.

    Speaking in an interview at the Lagos Airport last week, the National President of ANCLA,Prince Olayiwola Shittu, said the cargo airlines were acting against the regulations of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), which since 2011 cautioned the carriers against collecting the illegal charges from clearing agents .

    Shittu said the so-called consolidated charges introduced by the cargo airlines was a ploy  to extort money from cargo agents, saying it is against global best practices to collect such charges.

    He, however, insisted that clearing agents would no longer pay the charges, which he described as arbitrary.

    He warned  that any attempt to further impose the charges on its members would be resisted.

    He said: “The foreign airlines have been using Nigerians to commit scam by collecting money illegally. They collect money several billions of Naira on a daily basis under the guise of documentation.

    “As at 2011, NCAA wrote these airlines that the money is  illegal and asked them to reverse it, but unfortunately, the agency did not enforce the order and this is due to Nigerian factor.”

  • Expert pushes for charter of ANCLA

    National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Alhaji Olayiwola Shittu has promised to facilitate the passage of the bill for the group’s charter.

    Speaking after his reelection for a second term, Shittu urged the Nigeria Customs Service to give clearing agents commission on earnings for the service.

    Besides, he would also focus on how to draw the government closer to the group.

    He urged the Ministry of Finance and the Customs to sponsor a bill on ANLCA chartered.

    When ANCLA is chartered, it would lead to professionalism in Customs brokerage, he said.

    Shittu said the ministry’s involvement through the Customs would expedite the passage of the bill, unlike if sponsored privately.

    Members of the national executive committee, he said, were working to ensure the bill sees the light of the day.

    “If you make it as a private bill from outside, it will not see the light of the day, if you make it private members’ bill, which means that we will give it to one member of the assembly to start moving on it, it will not see the light of the day because passing bill in Nigeria requires a lot of funds and they will always tell you that there is no money,” he said.

    He continued: “Even for the committee to sit down and look at the bill is a lot of money, so the only success we can get is if the Nigeria Customs Service through the ministry Finance decides to do executive bill, then it will be fast for enactment and we are working towards that.

    “We are happy that ANLCA is one big family, so we are going to work hard to also get our association chartered.

    “Chartering of our association does not remove us from been regulated or controlled by CRFFN and Customs, which you know were established under different acts.

    “Chartering gives us the opportunity to be professionally recognised to Chartered Institute of Customs Brokerage and that is what we want the National Assembly to do for us.”

    He said when enacted into law, the association will be affiliated to training institutes because CRFFN is a certification institution.

    Meanwhile, the Comptroller- General, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi, has congratulated Shittu on his re-election as president of ANLCA.

    In a letter from his office, dated April 30, this year and signed by Customs Deputy Comptroller Headquarter II, Bello A. N, Dikko  pledged his partnership with ANLCA.

    “The Comptroller-General sends his congratulatory message to you and members of your association for the peaceful conduct of your election and promised to continue to partner with your association for the overall good of our organisations and the country,” the letter read in part.

  • No group should collect money at ports, says ANLCA chief

    The National Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has advised officers of the Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to know the provisions of the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA), the Common External Tariff (CET) regime and explanatory notes in their various operations.

    ANLCA National President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, gave the advice at a training initiated by the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Charles Edike, for Assistant Superintendents II serving in the Command.

    He said an understanding of guidelines of cargo clearance in the ports would enable officers to discharge their duties effectively to defend their actions.

    Shittu said while the Customs enforced the government’s policies, the Customs agents implemented the rules. Therefore, when interfacing with agents, clarity of what is expected of them should be uppermost in the officers’ minds.

    He advised the officers to utilise their weekends and public holidays to improve their knowledge in order to make the desired progress in their chosen careers, and also be courteous in relating with others.

    Shittu advised the officers never to report what they are not sure of during physical examination, and not to allow money be their main focus at the expense of doing the right thing.

    The Customs Area Comptroller Edike thanked Shittu for his time in training the officers. He noted that the officers must have been better for it because of the practical examples in the lecture.

    ANLCA chief, while reacting to the recommendations in the report submitted by the committee set up by the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, to proffer solutions to the problem of congestion at the Lagos ports, said it was not right for an association to collect money from its members in the port premises.

    Shittu said the adoption of this recommendation by the Transport Minister is a right step in the right direction. “It is not right and professional for an association to say that they’ll be collecting money in the ports. We have been saying this for so long. At the national level, we are not in support of collection of fees inside the ports,” he said.

    He said there is an adhoc arrangement made at the chapter levels of the association which members agreed to contribute money to their respective chapter’s purse for handling of their welfare. “There was no general declaration that this is where ANLCA is going to be collecting money,” he added.

    Shittu said ANLCA has worked out better ways of collecting dues from its members.

    He said: “Collection of dues from members has been made easy by the present leadership. I can tell you that our members have never at anytime raised eyebrows over collection. The money being collected was approved by our members at a town hall meeting in 2010/2011, where they voluntarily decided to contribute money from their income to sustain the association. I can also tell you that that was an improved way of collection, because, before then, taskforces were set up who go about harassing people at the gate.

    “Those were the days when things were not being done professionally. But, I can tell you that we don’t have anybody chasing anybody to collect money. We have even designed a better means of collecting money from our people where they pay their money yearly for the purpose of running the affairs of the association.”

     

  • Expert decries experimentation with deep sea ports

    The Federal Government has been urged to stop further experimentation with projects that will be detrimental to the much needed growth in the nation’s maritime sector. A maritime stakeholder and the National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, Prince Olayiwola Shuittu who gave the advice said the current plans by the government to establish several deep sea ports apart from the ones already planned for Lekki in Lagos and Ibaka in Akwa Ibom State which implementation has stated in stages, is nothing but a white elephant project that will not yield the nation any good result.

    According to the ANCLA boss, there are enough seaports already in the country with most of them not functioning optimally like the Calabar, Warri and Onne ports.

    He said: “Our problem is always that of promoting and implementing wrong policies for political considerations. Citing the case of Inland Container Depots (ICDs) established across the country seven years ago that has not yielded any result, he said: “The ICDs will not work because at the end of the day, it is more expensive to the importer because he will have to pay to bring his cargo to the port, pay the numerous handling charges in the port, pay for transportation of the cargo to the ICD and still pay to clear his cargo at the ICD.”

    The ANCLA President said more than 30 percent of the goods that come into Nigeria still pass through the land borders meaning that Nigerians prefer using the neighbouring ports because they are more efficient.

    He said Nigeria should rather strive to be a transit nation for port operations in the sub-region so that other countries around us would rely on us for their maritime cargo operations describing the rush for deep sea ports as untimely.

    “What makes a country to be chosen as a transit point or hub is the efficiency in the ports operations in the country and not merely on the number of deep seaports available and this efficiency is lacking in Nigeria,” he said, adding that what determines whether an importer will use a particular port is the function of efficiency obtained in the port.

    He also blames the woes confronting the sector on the manner the Federal Government concessioned all our ports in 2006, adding that Nigeria is the only country that concessioned her ports and gave it away completely.