A freight forwarding expert, Emenike Nwokoji storms Port Harcourt to source the support of clearing and forwarding agents in the forthcoming presidential election of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), as he promises to bring back the association’s past glory with members’ welfare on top of his agenda
Jude Nzennaya (Port Harcourt)
Frontline contender for the presidential seat of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), chief Emenike Nwokoji, was a onetime Chairman of ANLCA Onne chapter and vice president at the national level. He was in Port Harcourt recently to interact with the association members operating at Area 1 Port in order to solicit their votes to be the next ANLCA President. He came with the slogan “RESTORATION TEAM” after a closed door meeting with the Controller of Customs Area 1 Command, Comptroller Chedi Wada.
Nwokoji said, “I have come to seek your support in other to lead and restore this great Association ANLCA to its former glory and the good thing is that I am an operator and a practicing agent as well and as I speak I have bills of laden waiting to process thereby feeling the pains you feel while trying to clear your goods. We are here to fight for our common good, the reason I decided to run for the presidency.
“The office of the President and vice president have been rotational right from time, but for greed and personal interest we have messed up that zoning system that is now affecting our people. Before now chapters did share offices amicably, but for individual interest that is no more”.
“Many may not like my face but like me because for the fact that I am going in to build confidence in everybody in this place every one have the capacity to operate freely. Let us tell ourselves the truth, I have not been the president before and so cannot promise you I can do this and that as a I do not know what I will meet when I get there as that office has been run down totally, but I believe in God that you people can make it count”, Emenike said.
Emenike entertained question from the agents.
Question: How fit are you to handle the job of ANLCA, what will you do different if you emerge the president including the welfare of members and what did you achieved as a vice president?
ANS: Physically, I am fit to run for the post of the President, leave politics, what I can do most people especially those with pot belly among us cannot do it and as you can see I have a flat tommy. Our members are suffering as we all know, imaging you sleeping well but the moment you receive bill of laden sleep disappears from your eyes simply because you do not know what come with it as an importer places a job before you before you asking you how much it will cost to clear the goods and at the same time placing a call to another agent before you to know how much it will cost to clear same goods, placing agents against each other and because there is hunger in the country some will shamefully accept the job mean while before you leave the negotiation table exchange rate has changed and you end up paying additional fees”.
On welfare: we do have an insurance policy before now but today is no more and nobody care to find out how and what happened or should be done to revive that policy and I know some persons here have benefited from it in the past, these shall be revive”.
My Achievement as vice president: “I am a man that follows the rules of engagement and I do not have the powers of president but to act in his absence as our contribution stated. As the Chairman of National disciplinary Committee’ in that capacity I did perform crediably well. During that period the association inherited six court cases and one of the person that draged us to court is the national acting president Mr. Collins Farinto and to the glory of God we did not hand over any case to the incoming executive at the time we handed over to Tony Iju lead executive. In case we have forgotten during my time as Chairman Onne chapter welfare was flowing on weekends at least members were getting transport fare to go back home”.
Presidential hopeful, Nwokoji, feeds questions from Journalist immediately after the meeting.
Sir, some persons said you came out late?
And: I came out when the forms are still been sold not even when it was extended. So if form are still been sold and I purchase mine how can you say I came out late and infact after purchasing my form the period of sales was extended for another one week, are you telling me that within the period of extension those that did purchase their have no hope of winning the election? Someone like me cannot just go to election without consulting my constituency, respectively I did consult those that give me their blessings to carry on, from the BOT members to past presidents and elders of the association and I have to give them that respect which is expected of me.
Question: There is a lot of court injunctions, infighting involving ANLCA as one of the license operational agencies creating two factional bodies. How are you going to face these hurdles if you emerge victorious?
ANS: am not aware of any court injunction as we speak you can educate me of you don’t and then even if we have, a man that went to court is the man looking of peace, he wants to be heard and want a third party to listen to him and then adjudicate and there is nothing wrong with that, in fact we prefer people going to court then people hiring thugs but if we see anything like that we invite both parties, listen to them and know weigher it is something we can handle. Like I have just mention here now we have been handling issues like that’s through diplomacy and arbitration, so, it is nothing new to us and it is better that somebody complain than another party going to court though the court is no man house they are there to look into matters and rule over it.
Question: Sir, are you saying there is no court injunction stopping this election from holding as a result division in the association?
ANS: I am not aware of any one as we speak and mind you if there is no division there won’t be election though I know some people might not like my face so they will vote for the other person and some other people will vote for me and that is why it as an election so that you will make a choice between me and the other person and when you talk of division, there is division every where even in your family but the basic thing is that ANLCA is one big family and I have told you people we are coming to restore all this above all Peace Restoration.
Question: How can you outwit the power of incumbency?
Answer: incumbency, which incumbency that somebody is on acting capacity that why am coming which slow that I have the capacity because they have not performed well the response we are getting everywhere shows that purple are eager for a change.
Question: You are talking like one well prepared for the election?
ANS: If I am not prepared, do you think I just wake up and say I want to contest a nationalist election and moving from here to Abuja, Kano to solicit for votes. I am very well prepared.
Question: Can you tell us in a short statement some of the decays that bedeviled ANLCA which you are now coming to repair?
ANS: Where do you want me to start from, our respect has been seriously eroded, people no longer regards clearing agent but just see us like taught they treat us anyhow. We need to show them that we are not taught but professionals and we contribute meaningfully well to the economy of this country and that deserved to accorded that respect thank.
