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The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has honoured its former President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu; the Chairman of the Seaports Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Olori (Dr.) Vicky Haastrup; and Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs, DCG Dera Nnadi mni (Rtd) for their contributions to ANLCA growth over the years.
The awards were presented at ANLCA’s 72nd anniversary at the Marriott Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos. The event was held under the theme “ANLCA Celebrating A Legacy Of Professionalism Advancing Trade Facilitation and Shaping The Future Of Customs Brokerage.” It drew government officials, regulators, terminal operators, former ANLCA presidents and royal fathers.
Speaking with News Diet on the sidelines, Haastrup said she was delighted to felicitate the association, describing freight forwarders indispensable to the ports.
“Without freight forwarders, there can’t be an efficient port business. They operate at seaports, airports and land borders with respect to the clearance of cargoes,” she said.
She noted that ANLCA, which is older than Nigeria, was once at the heart of conflicts but has evolved into a professional body. Haastrup credited modern port equipment and automated processes, and said that maturity, collaboration and dialogue now deliver efficient services at the ports.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, who was represented by the Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Island Command, Comptroller Joe Anani, said the Service cannot achieve trade facilitation alone and described customs brokers as particularly important partners.
“Let me reaffirm that the Nigeria Customs Service values the relationship between the service and the Customs agents,” he said.
He, however, stressed that the future of customs operations would be determined by practitioners’ professionalism as trade becomes more digital and supply chains grow more complex.
The Customs boss urged ANLCA to promote voluntary compliance, improve the quality of information used for risk assessment and invest in training for all members. He also added that interactions between officers and freight forwarders at ports and terminals must be guided by mutual respect and accountability.
Nnadi, after receiving his award, said trade built every nation and licensed customs agents move Nigeria’s trade.
“They mediate between the importers and exporters, ensuring that there is an alignment with other regulatory agencies,” he said.
He called on the association to do more in line with the shifting dynamics of international trade.
Noting that competition sometimes breeds conflict in the freight forwarding sector, and expects the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) to resolve such disputes while ensuring professionalism.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS), Dr Zacch Adedeji, represented by the Director of the National Single Window Project, Tola Fakolade, outlined three tasks for members: embrace change, adopt technology and champion compliance.
He observed that artificial intelligence, already helping with document checking, classification support and risk analysis worldwide, is now “knocking at the door.”
Compliance, he added, protects revenue, the profession and clients. He urged ANLCA to set clear professional standards and encourage peer accountability.
“Compliance should not be seen as a burden. It is your competitive advantage. In a world where trust is everything, the compliant broker is the one clients will choose,” he said.
ANLCA National President, Mr. Emenike Kingsley Nwokeoji, in his address titled “ANLCA: 72 Years of National Service,” said the association is much more than a body of customs brokers.
“We are trade facilitators. We are economic enablers,” he said, adding that members are also employers, taxpayers and partners in national development. He also explained that agents are often the first professionals to feel the impact of every new trade policy. “When a policy is unclear, we experience its consequences,” he said.
