ANLCA ELECTION: Abuja, Kano chapters support Farinto’s candidacy

…Farinto promises fair, equitable treatment of all chapters if elected.

The Northern Zone of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), comprising Abuja and Kano Chapters have all endorsed the presidential candidacy of Dr Farinto Collins Kayode and his team as their preferred candidates in the ANLCA July 5, NECOM elections.

Cartoon Strip Ad 2

The two chapter members who played host to the Dr Farinto Collins campaign team, said with his antecedents and being the only candidate that have come to seek their votes, they have endorsed him and his team as their candidates.

At the Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, the ANLCA Acting National President said that henceforth, each port, airport and land borders will be treated based in its peculiarity if elected into office. He told his members that freight forwarding is a noble profession even as he urged them to be compliant and professional in their duties.

While asking for their votes and that of other contestants, he said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government was ready to listen to freight forwarders, as he and some other chieftains of the association are making efforts to make sure the freight forwarding profession is given its rightful place among professional associations.

Farinto said, “You are very important, you are the ones who go up and down looking for importers to bring in goods, you are the ones paying the duty to government through your importers, Customs is just to calculate and determine what you have to pay, they are not the one generating the revenue, but yet we are not treated well, especially in taking decisions that affect our profession, this must stop.

“We are happy that we were called upon to make our inputs by the House of Representatives Committee on Customs in the amendment of the CEMA by the last National Assembly, and our prayers were carried in the new CEMA which includes renewal of your license which is now four years instead of yearly, this is the way to go,” Farinto assured.

On the coming NECOM election, the ANLCA Acting National President urged the Abuja airport members to vote for a team that will move the association forward and promised that if he is elected his ten point agenda for the association which includes tackling the challenges faced by freight forwarders, welfare of members among others will be carried out for the benefit of all members.

Responding, the Abuja International Airport chapter chairman, Alhaji Abdulaziz said he and his members were voting for Dr Farinto Collins, having known his antecedents and progressive leadership he has made in the association. He said there was no better candidate for president in ANLCA now order than Dr Farinto Collins.

The high point of the event was a courtesy visit to the Customs Area Controller of the Federal Capital Territory Command (FCT), Comptroller FN Ogar-Modey who thanked the team for the visit and also prayed for the team to win the election.

Meanwhile to be closer to his members in Kano and the Northern Zone, Dr Farinto Collins have promised to apart from the Zonal Co-ordinator North, appoint a Presidential Liaison Officer for Kano Chapter and the Northern Zone if elected into office in the July 5th NECOM election of the association.

The promise came after myriad of complaints from the Kano Chapter members that the national body of ANLCA abandoned them. But in a quick intervention with apology, Farinto appealled to them that due to the crises that rocked the association in the last five years, which led to destruction of the association’s national Secretariat and attack on some members, the NECOM had to put up strong resilience to protect and prevent those he called “Camp Boys” from forcefully taking over the association and that prevented them from making visits to the zone.

Farinto said though he and the NECOM members were not able to visit them in Kano, the association leadership was puting up strong defense for members’ professional wellbeing.

He said the association put up about eight prayers at the National Assembly amendment of the newly assented Customs Excise and Management Act (CEMA) amendment one which now requires members license renewal to be done once in four years instead of the former yearly renewal.

He promised that if elected, the association first National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in 2024 will be held in Kano State and he will implement his 10 point agenda contained in his manifesto which includes tackling members operational challenges, welfare and wellbeing of members, training and retraining, collaboration, among others.

Speaking to collaborate Farinto’s position, the respected leader of the Northern Zone and former BOT member, Alhaji Isah Aliyu who said he had seen it all in ANLCA, urged members to vote for Farinto as the only candidate that can lead ANLCA for now.

He informed his members that if not for the strong leadership prowess of Dr Farinto Collins during the crises, enemies of ANLCA would have destroyed the association, adding that Farinto is their candidate in Kano and no other.

In their responses, the Chapter Chairman of Kano, Alhaji AbdulAzeez Abdulraman and other members who spoke, promised to vote for Dr Farinto Collins’ team as according to them, it is the only team that they know can lead the new ANLCA.

Among the contestants that make the Kano trip are Alhaji Lameen Aliyu, vying as Northern Zone Coordinator, Chief Lawrence Uba and Chiedu Ngwube, vying for National Secretary, Alhaji Afolabi Abdulazeez, for Treasurer, Segun Alabi for Assistant National Secretary and Emmanuel Onyeme for National Publicity Secretary.

The high point of the event was the visit to the Kano/Jigawa Customs Area Controller, Comptroller SK Dangaladima and his Post Clearance Audit (PCA) counterpart, Comptroller AA. Okeke. Both were excited to receive the team led by Farinto and they all prayed for them to win in the election.