The Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has appealed to the management of Lekki Deep Seaport to provide a Freight Forwarders’ Village for customs brokers as obtained in other modern automated ports in the world.
The Acting National President of ANLCA, Dr Kayode Farinto, made the appeal during a courtesy visit to the management of the Lekki deep seaport in Lagos, on Wednesday.
He also called for full automation of port activities at the Lekki Deep seaport, urging the authority not to allow any government agency to frustrate the plan.
“The visit was in continuation of the association’s collaboration with critical stakeholders in the maritime industry for a better working relationship,” he said.
Head, Regulatory and Procurement of the port, Mr Daniel Odibe, while receiving the ANLCA team said the management of the Lekki Deep Seaport was happy to receive the association, being a critical stakeholder in the port industry.
Odibe pointed out that the new port which would be completed in September was fully automated and would reduce human contact to actualise the mandate of the seaport.
While briefing the visitors on the current status of the port, Odibe said the Lekki Deep Seaport was concessioned for 45 years on Build Operate Transfer (BOT) basis.
“The port has three container berths, three liquid berths and one dry bulk berth terminals and every activity is automated including the trucking system which will be operated by an electronic call up system,” he said.
On cargo movement to and from the port, Odibe said the construction of the rail linking the port was in the pipeline, but in the meantime containers would be moved via vessels and by roads.
The port management took the ANLCA team to the port area where construction work is ongoing and showcased equipment at the port expected to commence commercial operations by September.
Meanwhile, Dr Kayode Farinto, said the association has no paralle group..
Farinto spoke against the backdrop of the forceful break in into the national secretariat of the association, while the national executive members were on a national assignment to the Lekki Deep seaport.
He attributed the development to the handiwork of expelled members who refused to leave after being expelled by the National Executive Committee (NEC).
“What you are seeing in ANLCA is a political shenanigans by cantankerous old men who refused to leave the association after being expelled.
“Unfortunately, we were on a national assignment when we learnt that they have encroached into the national secretariat and forcefully taking over the secretariat breaking the padlocks and keys.
“The interesting thing is that we have police on guard in that place, we want to know whether the police are culpable because this is a surprise to me.
“But there is nothing to worry about, the expelled members were not expelled by me, it was the NEC, I don’t know why a part of the body will say it doesn’t belong to the body,” he said.
“I feel pity, I feel pained to see a professional association where hoodlums and old men just bring in thugs to take over our secretariat.
“We got an approval from the Inspector-General of Police the other time for him to whisk away these men, he played it to the gallery, he never did,” he said.
Also, the National secretary of the association, Mr Babatunde Mukaila, said that the association was not aware of any written letter for the expelled members to use the secretariat not until we were enroute the Lekki Deep seaport today.
Mukaila said that he got the letter sent by the station officer signed by one of the expelled members seeking permission to use the secretariat for a meeting. He, however, said the letter was signed by one of the expelled members of the associationnan
…
