President Emeritus of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents, Sen Sani Kamba , says Tony Iju Nwabunike should be held responsible for bringing the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, to its lowest ebb in the almost seven decades of existence.
He described Tony Iju as a coward who fled the country after setting his home on fire and adding that Tony Iju’s action was irresponsible and a demonstration of executive rascality. Tracing the genesis of the crisis, Sen Kamba said it was totally unacceptable and wrong for ibos to want to occupy the position of Chairman of Board of Trustees and the same time cling to the Presidency when after the inauguration of Tony Iju as National President, Chief Henry Njoku refused to step down as BoT Chairman even after he was clearly defeated by Taiwo Mustapha. He said: “There was no way our brothers from the south West Zone would have accepted such a configuration. All of us who have been conversant with the unwritten rules of our Association know too well that such an arrangement can never endure.
Is it not the same impunity that is tearing the PDP apart?.Don’t forget that the south west see themselves as the landlords of the Ports in view of the location of the Apapa and Tin can Island Ports”, he said.
According to the former ANLCA President, as a result of the current turn of events, the Association has completely lost her respect and its pride of place in the Corporate World. Said Kamba: ” In times past, ANLCA can shut down the Ports if they find government policies to be anti people. But who can try such a thing these days?. In those good old days, the likes of Taiye Oyeniyi and co will shut down the ports and will be prepared to put their lives on the line. They will ask me to go hide in Kano and leave the battle for them. You will recall during our era, the Presidency will invite us for a meeting to resolve critical issues affecting the sector.In those days ,when we sneeze, government officials would run helter skelter, but not anymore.
We have lost our respect and no one takes us seriously”, he fumed. Speaking on the purported ammendment of the Association’s constitution,Kamba said what happened at Owerri in 2020 leading to the purported ammendment of the constitution was procedurally wrong. “You don’t ammend the constitution without having the buy in of the chapter executives.
The endorsement ought to have started with them before heading for that convention in Owerri, he argued. On the way forward for the embattled Association, Kamba advised the warring parties to sheath their swords and return to the round table. ” Running from one court room to another or from one Police station to the other will not bring peace to the Association. All aggrieved parties should drop their over bloated egos and come to the round table “,he concluded