Nigeria at 60 : ANLCA President calls for reflection on nation’s economy * Seeks FG’s support for freight forwarders

Nigeria at 60 : ANLCA President calls for reflection on nation’s economy

*Seeks FG’s support for freight forwarders

* Our sector holds capacity for 50,000 jobs- Says Nwabunike

By Udeme Clement :

As Nigeria marks 60 years of Independence, the National President, Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, Mr Iju Tony Nwabunike, has called on Nigerians to reflect on untapped potentials abound in the country.

He made this call in his good will message to Customs Brokers, Freight Forwarders and supply chain practitioners.

His message,
“Fellow Compatriots,
As we join in celebrating our great country, Nigeria at 60, it has become imperative for us to reflect on the many untapped potentials we have as a country, as professionals and as business men.

“These reflections should be geared towards making us contribute more in making Nigeria greater, united and more prosperous.

“Our professional calling as logistics experts playing critical roles in E-commerce now requires us to think beyond clearing cargoes from the ports and be the chain linking people and business together.”

He informed, “ANLCA’s age is 66 (established 1954) , Nigeria is 60. We shouldn’t just be glorying in old age without commensurate maturity to match our many years of existence as a body of great professionals. We must not derail in our drive for success

“We should continually see ourselves as part of the move to diversify Africa’s largest economy from a totally oil dependent country to a viable country making sustainable revenue from non oil sector.”

He stressed, “Our roles in import, export and supply chain management make us critical contributors to government revenue drive of attaining over N4 trillion by Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and supporting the Nigeria Customs Service in sustaining it’s N1trillion yearly collection.

“Our sector holds the capacity for 50,000 direct and ancillary employments from the ports, airports, border stations, delivery chain linking warehouses and market, if properly harnessed.

“While I call on our members and professionals in our line of business to keep up their patriotic acts of engaging only in legitimate deals and prompt payment of taxes to government, it also rests on the Nigerian State to give us support.

“We have heard and seen Federal Government interventions through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Bank of Industry (BoI) to private sector businesses improving on their viability and sustainability.

“No such programme has been designed for us in the freight forwarding and logistics sector of our economy.

“Aside not getting any form of palliative from government, there is no offer of single digit loan by government tailored towards our needs in procuring trucks, maintaining warehouses, investing in logistics aided technology like tracking devises and fleet of motorcycles for E-commerce transactions in a state of difficult traffic situation as what we experience in Lagos.

“We call on the Federal Ministries of Finance, Transport, Trade and Industry, CBN, NCS and others to see us as professionals deserving of state support, not only as potential tax payers because the likely quake or collapse of our sector will adversely affect the country.

“ANLCA under my watch, will open talks with government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to see how our sub-sector can be integrated into government interventionist financial programmes and support initiatives.

“We are a great country with very copious potentials to be greater. This 60th anniversary of Nigeria’s Independence should spur us into more positive actions for greater good of larger number of our fellow compatriots.

“Let us join hands in ensuring that the labour of our past heroes in bringing us together doesn’t go in vain.

“Happy Independent Anniversary
from, Iju Anthony Nwabunike.
National President
ANLCA HQTS
1st October 2020.”