Customs Agents Against ANLCA, NAGAFF, Others Collaboration Are Parochial – Kayode Farinto
DR. KAYODE FARINTO
• Says Collaboration is only way to address common issues against trade facilitation, practitioners
By Francis Ugwoke
The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agent (ANLCA) has hit back at those criticissing the collaboration it has with the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) and other associations in the ports industry.
Some aggrieved members of ANLCA had last week accused the present ANLCA executive of turning the association into an arm of NAGAFF.
But reacting to the statement, the Vice President of ANLCA, Dr. Kayode Farinto said those who think that collaborating with NAGAFF and other associations was another way of turning the association into an arm of others were simply ‘parochial thinkers’.
Arguing that it was not out of place to collaborate with other associations, Farinto said this was for the common good of all practitioners in the industry.
Besides, he argued that it was wrong for some people to think that one association is above the other considering that all were registered by the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).
In an exclusive chat with SHIPPING DAY, Farinto explained that what one association can boast of over others was the strength of spread.
Farinto said that collaboration has become very imperative for associations in the industry, adding that with it, customs agents or freight forwarders as the case may could move mountains.
He said that collaboration has come to address the issue of division among practitioners, one of the reasons stakeholders, including the customs personnel see customs brokers as unorganized set of people.
He added that there was little ANLCA can do alone without collaboration with other associations.
According to him, collaboration gives a lot of strength to the associations to be able to address issues facing practising agents in the industry.
He said, “I want to believe that this set of people ( aggrieved ANLCA members against collaboration) are parochial in thinking. What they are supposed to do they left it undone to face another thing. It is not out of place if there is collaboration between all the associations. Whether anybody likes it or not by virtue of our registration with the CRFFN, there is no association that is above anyone”.
“ Lack of collaboration in the past has been dividing us and has been making the various stakeholders particularly Customs to see us as unorganized set of people.
“For the first time, we decided to come together to face all the challenges we have in the industry. I don’t think there is anything bad in that.
“However, you know people who are egoists who believe that ANLCA is supreme, ANLCA is this and that. There is nothing ANLCA can do alone in the industry without collaboration with even the least association. And there is nothing the least association can do without collaborating with ANLCA and NAGAFF. So our coming together is in the interest of our members. They are suffering. I was privileged to be among the people that went to the National Assembly and I know what transpired. For the first time, we were coming together and I know how serious Customs is now. Because we are going to challenge anything that they are doing. We are going to come together, look at issues inwardly, criticize it before we even go out. So whoever is thinking otherwise, I want to call them political shenanigan”.
On how the group will address the problem of back-stabbing one another at any point in time, Farinto said this issue has been well discussed among the collaborating associations with strong agreement that it would not happen as was the case in the past.
He explained that what the collaborating associations have agreed on was to first identify any common issue or issues, discuss them, agree and move on to take action.
“ We had a commitment that this one is for good. There will not be any backstabbing after we have agreed on anything. I can tell you that whatever you get from me on this, is what Dr. Aniebonam will tell you, And we also consult ourselves. That was the key thing that was facing us before. If there is an issue in the industry, I consult with Dr. Aniebonam, if he is the one that sees the issue first, he consults with my President, if he is unable to meet my President, he consults me. He will not say because he is older. So, we have set aside our age. And we have set aside the fact that ANLCA is older than NAGAFF, we are looking at issues objectively on how to move the industry forward”.
Farinto also pointed out that the associations have discovered that CRFFN provisions as contained in a Gazette empowers registered associations to form a Consultative Forum.
He said that having discovered this, the Forum is now being used to face all issues affecting the industry and practitioners.
He said, “We have been using that forum to face many issues frontally and any particular policy in the industry we subject it to objective criticism, look at it inwardly, what is the advantage of freight forwarders and licensed customs agents.
“For the first time, we are jettisoning the issue of whether I am a customs broker or freight forwarder because all these are just nomenclature. It is not doing us any good, the most important thing is that we are carriers and movers of cargo in the industry and we have the same interest and that is the movement of cargo. In view of that, let us come together. We are also registered under CRFFN, the law that establishes all associations did not say ANLCA is above, NAGAFF is this, The only thing is that while one has widespread, the other one does not have widespread. Whether we like it or not, the five associations have been registered by the CRFFN, and the five associations have come together to collaborate , speak with one voice”.
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