ANLCA OWES IT AS A DUTY TO ALWAYS ABSOLVE CUSTOMS FROM EVERY BLAME
— IFEANYI ISIKAKU
/The Prestige Magazine Online/
The Chairman of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents -ANLCA, Onne Chapter, Chief Ifeanyi Isikaku, has said that the association owed it as a duty to always absolve the Nigeria Customs Service from every allegation of professional misconduct.
Isikaku made the statement on Wednesday, 16th of April, 2025, during an interaction with the Editor -in- Chief of The Prestige Magazine Online and Print, Mcanthony Onuoha.
The interaction was prompted by a sponsored publication of the National Compliance Joint Taskforce of Licensed Clearing Agents- NCJTFLCA, on the alleged high-handedness and extortion that have characterized the process of clearing auctioned containers at Onne Port Command.
Freight Forwarders have made damning allegations against the command, and have called for official inquiry into the activities of the Command.
In a telephone conversation with The Prestige Magazine Online and Print, the Chairman of ANLCA, Onne Chapter, Chief Ifeanyi Isikaku, said that the allegations were made by a faceless group and strongly insisted that there was no atom of truth in the claim.
Isikaku disclosed that ANLCA owed it as a duty to always absolve the Nigeria Customs Service from every blame or allegations of misconduct coming from any quarter. He opined that since Clearing Agents are licensed by the Nigeria Customs Service, there would be no reason whatsoever that would warrant them to criticise the organization which happens to to be their operational licensor.
In his words, ” you don’t expect ANLCA to criticize the Nigeria Customs Service, they issue licenses for our operation as clearing agents, and we owe it as a duty to always defend them. No sane man sets his farm ablaze, this is where we make our daily bread and we would not allow anyone to destroy our business for us.”
When asked why ANLCA should defend the Nigeria Customs Service even when its operatives are involved in professional misconduct, Isikaku insisted that it was the duty of ANLCA to defend the organization, insisting that it was out of place for a subordinate to criticize his superior. This assertion, to other freight forwarders, should be a flag, and if it is truly what the association stands for in the industry, it means that clearing agents should no longer look up to the leaderships of maritime associations for genuine intervention when their business is threatened or unduly emasculated.
Isikaku, when reminded that ANLCA was never in position to speak for the Nigeria Customs Service since the organization has a spokesperson at the National level and Public Relations Officers (PROs) at various Customs Commands. But he insisted that it was the duty of all clearing agents to always defend the organization that issues them with operational licenses.
There is no gainsaying the fact that freight forwarders have always expressed frustration over the inability of ANLCA and other maritime associations to come to their defense each time unfriendly trade policies are introduced. They had at one time or the other, accused the leaderships of the foremost maritime associations of complicity and betrayal, as the notion that they keep feeding fat on the periodic financial propitiation, and waivers they enjoy as entitlement. The statement of Onne Chapter Chairman of ANLCA, Chief Ifeanyi Isikaku, has vindicated freight forwarders who uphold this notion.
The National Compliance Joint Taskforce of Licensed Clearing Agents- NCJTFLCA, recently accused the Onne Customs Command of extortion and high-handedness which it said, characterize the clearing procedure of auctioned containers from the port.
NCJTFLCA in the publication, called for thorough investigation into the allegations leveled against the Command while proffering solutions to the alleged continued misconduct.
