Business
ANLCA CRISIS: EXTERNAL FORCES STILL ON THE PROWL, Mukaila says.
In conclusion of our interview with Alhaji Babatunde Mukaila, Secretary-General, ANLCA, he supports concerns that the 4-year crisis is being fueled by external forces bent on bringing disrepute to the foremost customs brokers’ body. Link up to the first part of the interview we published September 16.
………No single day would be allowed to extend their tenure. When they said no, the association went ahead to elect new trustees. That’s the first disagreement.
The second disagreement is that the Board of trustees elected 2014 to 2020 violated ANLCA Constitution by the purported sack of a duly constituted ASECO. They lacked such powers. The Board does not have powers to singlehandedly sack and replace an ASECO once it is ratified by entire members of the Association. That’s the second disagreement.
The NECOM sided with the substantive ASECO to continue delivering on our election mandate. They refused and appointed a parallel ASECO ratified by themselves instead of by the Association and started conducting elections. That led us to the third disagreement.
The real issue is people overstaying their time in office. Why would somebody spend 12 years on the Board? Why would somebody spend 8 years on NECOM? Why would somebody spend 6 years at the chapter level as executive whereas we have a multitude of members? That’s another area of disagreement. The few of them that Mustafa appointed and swore in contrary to our Constitution decided not to attend an AGM at Owerri. They wanted it nullified. We said no!
That you did not attend does not nullify what the Association is doing. This sit- tight syndrome in office is the problem. 6 years on the Board; 5 years only instead of 8 for the NECOM; 4 years instead of 6 for the chapter is what we did. Much as it is to the detriment of the present NECOM, the new enactment says I can only do a single tenure of 5 years when that motion was carried and effectively passed. The second motion is the present government is in office already A motion is coming to support single tenure. Let’s finish our tenure, let the single tenure of 5 years start from the next government so that if they’re ready, I can still recontest. They said no, that the 5 year regime must start while we are still in office and we’ve done only 2+ years out of 4. Another motion was passed at that AGM that one year be extended to us to do 5 years and get out of office. We protested it but the majority carried the day after a vote. That has become another disagreement by the warring faction that why are we doing extension for ourselves? And I asked them: let us go out of office so that I can recontest as National Secretary. They’re accusing me of extra one year.
So, if they claimed we tinkered with the Constitution, it was a disadvantage to somebody like me who we would have loved to serve the Association as it used to be for 8 consecutive years.
Q: Do you smell external interests in this crisis?
Ans: If there are no external forces, why do you think that somebody who has used 6 years in a voluntary mandate will extend that tenure without recourse to floor members that cast their votes at an AGM to put him there in the first place?
Why will you think somebody will go to war with a group of people in office who have been shortchanged from 4+4 years and now to a single tenure of 5 years whereas they have done more than 70% of their tenure before the new law? And yet the people accepted because the Association has spoken? Why will somebody whose tenure has expired refuse to leave as Board member, yet accusing somebody whose tenure has been bridged and is given just a year as pacifier for him to lose the second tenure and he has accepted? Why would the same man break into the Secretariat and accuse somebody who has been at a disadvantage if not that there are external forces? Why would a group of people, ANLCA members, who know how elections are conducted, allow somebody to conduct an election for them and swear them in in contravention of ANLCA Constitution and tell them that they’ve been duly elected if there are no external forces? Why would somebody go to the extent of registering after due registration of all the 9 Board members elected at Warri even as 4 of them agreed that their tenure had been served? Why would 5 people refuse to go, rather relying on a certificate to perpetuate themselves in office?
It will not be out of tune to think that there must be external forces pushing an ANLCA member who knows the truth to decide to barge in through the gate to dethrone a legally- constituted executive if not to drag the name of ANLCA in the mud.
But the good thing is that the end justifies the means. Today, ANLCA is a cat with many lives. ANLCA will survive this onslaught, I can assure you. People who feel they can use brigandage to perpetrate this evil will come back to apologize if they have any future in the Association, moving forward.
Business
SIFAX GROUP: Ojeniyi Becomes Sky Capital GMD, Omajuwa Strategy Director.
By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
SIFAX GROUP has elevated Bode Ojeniyi to the position of Group Managing Director of Sky Capital Group, the financial services subsidiary of the SIFAX Group.
Similarly, Oliver Omajuwa is now the Deputy Director, Strategy & Operations.
According to a release by Muyiwa Akande, SIFAX Group’s Head of Corporate Communications, prior to the appointments, Ojeniyi served as the Group Executive Director, SIFAX Group, while Omajuwa was the General Manager, SIFAX Off Dock.
As an astute financial expert with about three decades of professional experience in the financial services industry, the release stated, Bode Ojeniyi is expected to deploy his wealth of experience to direct and reposition the Sky Capital Group to become one of the leading financial institutions in Nigeria and beyond.
Ojeniyi holds a Bachelor of Science Degree and a Master’s of Science Degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ibadan. He also holds a Master’s in Business Administration (Strategic Management) from the Ogun State University. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Strategic Management of Nigeria and the Institute of Credit Administration of Nigeria; a member of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) and the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), United Kingdom.
He is also an Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN). He has had previous working experience with Ecobank Nigeria, Access Bank and WAPIC Insurance.
Omajuwa is a graduate of Business Administration from the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State and also holds an MBA (Marketing) from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho, Oyo State.
Omajuwa who joined SIFAX Group in 2006 as a Marketing/Corporate Affairs Officer, rose through the ranks to occupy key positions including Head, Marketing & Corporate Affairs and General Manager, SIFAX Off Dock.
Prior to joining SIFAX Group, he worked with Classic Beverages – producers of La Casera range of beverages as pioneer Sales Analyst; Air Separation Nigeria Limited, manufacturers of medical and industrial oxygen gas, as Chief Marketing Officer and Duraclean Gases as Admin/Marketing Manager. He is a fellow of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), a member of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Fellow of International Logistics & Administration (ILA) and member, Nigeria Institute of Shipping (NIS).
As stated by Dr. Taiwo Afolabi, Chairman, SIFAX Group, the appointments reflect the commitment of the Group to the company’s vision of driving business growth and delivering excellent services to the satisfaction of its clientele through the deployment of best talents.
Business
PORTS LOGISTICS: Trucks Transit Parks Celebrates Eto, Targets Future Achievements
By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
It was celebrations galore in Lagos, Thursday, as leading mobility technology company, Trucks Transit Parks (TTP) Ltd marked her second anniversary.
As stated by Nancy Nnamdi, the firm’s Corporate Communications Manager, within two years of existence, TTP Ltd has made a profound impact on the ports logistics and transportation industry, delivering innovative solutions that streamline the cargo movement process, reducing congestion and improving the overall efficiency of port operations.
The efficient movement of trucks being presently witnessed in and out of Lagos ports, she stated, is a fallout of key logistics processes introduced by TTP in the last two years.
For instance, TTP’s flagship product, Eto, has successfully reduced traffic around the port corridors, resulting in a significant improvement in the average turnaround time for port-bound trucks from an average of 2 weeks to just 3 days.
The company’s technology has also contributed significantly to a massive reduction in the cost of moving cargo out of the ports by 65%, providing significant cost savings to businesses and improving the competitiveness of the Nigerian economy. TTP has also in this period, digitally managed the movement of over 1,165,000 port and non-port-bound trucks.
Speaking on the second anniversary of operations, Jama Onwubuariri, Managing Director & Co-founder of TTP stated that it is an opportunity to celebrate a milestone, and to unveil the positive impact the company’s home-grown technology has had on the ports logistics sub-sector.
He said: “Our commitment to delivering innovative solutions has allowed us to revolutionize the way that cargo is transported in and out of Lagos ports. We are confident that our continued growth and success will bring even greater benefits to the industry in the years to come.”
TTP has established itself as a leader in the mobility technology sector and has received widespread recognition for its innovative solutions and impactful results.
While looking ahead to the future, TTP remains committed and focused on delivering cutting-edge technology and excellent services delivery as well as improving the efficiency and competitiveness of the Nigerian economy especially from the ports logistics sector.
Business
INTERNATIONAL TRADE: Nigeria-Niger Rail Project Critical to Both Countries and Africa, says FG
By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
Functional railway services between Nigeria and Niger Republic, the Federal Government says, will promote trade and other socio-economic activities between the two African nations and even beyond.
The rail line which will link Kano State in Nigeria and Maradi in Niger Republic will facilitate the realization of the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) to which Nigeria and Niger Republic are signatories.
Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo stated this in Abuja at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the rail project between the two African nations.
The Minister signed for Nigeria while his Nigerien counterpart, Alma Oumarou, initialled for his country.
The Minister said: ” I am aware that people have blood relationships across borders. So, the project will expand the historical and cultural relationship between the people of Nigeria and those of the Niger Republic.”
He added that the project is also very important in enhancing inter-national and continental trade.
On the implementation of the project, according to a release by Henshaw Ogubike, the Ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, the Minister said a Technical Committee would be set up within seven days in accordance with Article 3 of the MoU. The nomination of members and inauguration of the Technical Committee, he added, would be concluded by the first week of February 2023.
After inauguration, the Technical Committee will take charge of the facilitation and implementation of the project.
In his remarks, the Minister of Transportation of the Republic of Niger, Alma Oumarou said the rail project will promote inter-national as well as continental trade, strengthen cultural ties between the two countries, create jobs and other mutually-beneficial dividends.
In her welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, said work has been ongoing on the Kano-Maradi rail line for the past two years. She added that the signing of the MoU would expedite the completion of the project.
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