By Agnes Nsikak
As the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), MMAC Chapter crises continued to fester, the embattled Chairman, Prince Bamigbala Adewusi has promised to fight back by making sure, the Contempt of Court Charged is enforced on those bent on removing him from office ,when the court has ordered for status quo to remain.
The latest of the moves to forced Adewusi out is the suspension letter served on him through Whatapp by the ANLCA NECOM, signed by the National Secretary, Olumide Fakunlu.
According the latest move by the ANLCA leadership to remove Adewusi and other Executives at the MMAC chapter, he is been accused of misappropriation of N25million.
The new twist at the Airport Chapter started when the ANLCA leadership accused Adewusi of refusing to remit N14million to the National Headquarters as its chapter remittances . According to Adewusi the chapter has been remitting its dues to the National, but in turn informed the national that is owing the chapter N25million , being money used to erect fence and burglary at the chapter Secretariat.
Based on this, Adewusi was given a query, he replied the query. But dissatisfied with the answers to the query, Adewusi has been issued a suspension letter to vacate his office, despite the matter pending at Appeal Court.
NECOM QUERY TO ADEWUSI
On the 9th of May, 2024 a two- pages letter of query titled ” Gross Misconduct and Insubordination to the National President and directive of National Executive Council ( NEC)”, it reads in part :
” The above subject refers : It has been discovered that you grossly engaged yourself with the following misconducts/ Insubordination hereunder stated inter Alia.
” Against the background, I’m directed by our National President to urgently request you to offer explanatory values to the issues so raised against you.
” Explain the rational behind the temerity you had for disparaging our exalted and revered office of the National President.
” Explain why you should not be referred to an Anti- graft agency for failing to remit the sum of 14 Million being statutory monthly remittance from your chapter as mandated by the National Executive Council (NEC).
” To explain why you converted the five buses and two Hilux of MMIA chapter to your personal use and its whereabout remain unknown at the time of issuing this query.
” Hence, you are requested to within 12 hours to make available the aforementioned buses/ two pick up Hilux and other association properties in your possession to the National Secretariat or Beesam Police station MMIA.”
Adewusi was given 24 hours to reply to the query. The query letter was signed by Olumide Fakunlu, National Secretary of ANLCA.
ADEWUSI’s REPLY TO THE QUERY
In reply to the query, Adewusi in a two pages letter dated 13 May, 2024 and received at 2: 39pm same day stated thus:
Re: Gross Misconduct and Insubordination to the National President – In relation to the above subject, my response to the query goes as follows:
” We are not owing or refusing to remit the money due to National Headquarter. We are paying our remittances to the association accordingly. Its the ANLCA National Headquarter that is owing us N25,000,000 for the fence and burglary we put in place at the MMAC Secretariat.
” The letter was written to the immediate past NECOM , but they were not able to refund us until they left the office. We wanted to write to the present NECOM for refund , but we are considering that NECOM was fresh/ new and its unfair to be asking for such claims for now. As we all know that only MMAC Chapter is the one paying its remittance in the whole western zone.
” I have not done anything to insult the NECOM or office of Mr President. If there is anything I did against the NECOM or the office of Mr President , I would like to see the evidence.
” There is no time I converted the association vehicles into my personal use. Only my official vehicle is used by me, and the other vehicles are for the members.
” We the Executive at the MMAC are surprised to see the National President swearing -in another Executives on the platform, because until the end of the NEC meeting, there is nowhere that NEC or anyone agreed or mentioned it to us nor were given a letter informing us that our tenure is over”, Adewusi’s reply to the query stated in part.
But despite his reply to the query and according to him , there was no audit or investigation carried out on his administration to come about how the chapter is owing N14million. Adewusi and two others, Mr Davies Ben Chukwunenye, the Vice Chairman of the MMAC chapter and Mr Ifeanyi Valentine, the Chapter Treasurer were slammed with suspension letters.
Dated 25th , June 2024, their Suspension letters read:
Letter of Suspension of Membership:
“We write to inform you that sequel to the findings of the National Disciplinary Committee of the association regarding your deliberate multifarious breaches of the Supreme Constitution of ANLCA, including , but not limited to misappropriation of N25,000,000 ( Twenty five million naira only) in utter disregard of S.18 (3) of ANLCA constitution which you claimed to have used in erecting a fence.
‘ You are hereby, in line with the provisions of ANLCA Supreme Constitution indefinitely suspended from the association forthwith until you purge yourself of all the illegalities and make appropriate restitution”.
The suspension letter was signed by the ANLCA’s National Secretary, Olumide Fakanlu.
Meanwhile, the immediate past National Secretary of ANLCA, Alhaji Abdulazeez Babatunde Mukaila, who is also the Special Adviser to the current ANLCA National President on Documentation and ICT in a chat with Roamrepporters online has denied being part of the committee that recommended the suspension of the MMAC chapter chairman.
Mukaila said, he was in the village , when they called him , but he said the matter is in court , as such he has no comment.
Recalled that the crises at the ANLCA Airport Chapter erupted few months ago when the ANLCA National President, Emenike Kingsley Nwokeoji , had inaugurated a new Executives to takeover the leadership of the chapter not minding the case pending in Appeal Court.
The Police have caution that the status quo remains, till the court decides on the matter. But from recent events and actions of the ANLCA leadership, they are bent on forcing the Adewusi team out of office, even as the court has threatened contempt.
Note: Follow up on stories from the ANLCA, Airport Chapter debacles on this space. For info: email roamrepporters@gmail.com.
