THREE YEARS OF DIVISION: Nwokeoji Under Fire As ANLCA Unity Project Falters

**…Aggrieved members question leadership capacity as MMIA crisis persists **

…Abuja Airport chapter election remains unresolved

Three years after Chief Emenike Nwokeoji assumed the presidency of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, his much-anticipated mission to unite the association appears to be facing serious questions, with aggrieved members accusing his administration of failing to resolve some of the most contentious internal disputes threatening the organisation’s stability.

Nwokeoji’s emergence was expected to mark a turning point for ANLCA, which had endured years of factional battles, leadership disagreements, litigation and institutional uncertainty.

His administration was consequently expected to prioritise reconciliation, restore confidence in the association’s constitutional structures, conduct credible chapter elections and bring an end to the divisions that had weakened ANLCA’s collective bargaining power.

However, three years into his presidency, dissatisfied members argue that the administration has yet to demonstrate the decisive leadership required to achieve these objectives.

They particularly point to the lingering crisis at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Chapter in Lagos and the failure to resolve the electoral situation at the Abuja Airport Chapter as glaring examples of what they describe as a disappointing reconciliation agenda.

For these members, the central question is no longer whether Nwokeoji inherited a divided association, but what concrete steps he has taken to overcome the divisions and restore institutional stability.

MMIA: A crisis that continues to haunt the administration

The leadership crisis at the MMIA Chapter remains one of the most embarrassing tests of Nwokeoji’s presidency.

Rather than producing a lasting political and administrative settlement, the controversy has been characterised by competing leadership claims, disagreements over the legitimacy of chapter executives, administrative interventions and court proceedings.

In May 2024, the national leadership’s move to replace existing executives with sole administrators across seven Western Zone chapters, including MMIA, generated considerable opposition.

Affected members questioned the legitimacy of the intervention, arguing that their tenures had not expired and that the national leadership could not disregard established constitutional procedures.

The subsequent emergence of competing leadership interests further complicated the situation.

Although the administration inaugurated Temitope Pius Akindele as MMIA Chapter Chairman in April 2024, the development did not provide the lasting reconciliation that members had expected.

Subsequent legal developments have continued to complicate the situation, with a Federal High Court judgment reportedly delivered on October 8, 2026, recognising Chief Bola Ashiru Balogun’s claim to the chairmanship.

The reported judgment and subsequent challenge by the association’s Board of Trustees have further exposed the depth of the institutional disagreement.

To aggrieved members, the MMIA experience raises fundamental questions about the effectiveness of the national leadership’s conflict-resolution mechanism.

They argue that an administration that came into office promising unity should, by now, have established a credible and generally acceptable framework for resolving the dispute rather than allowing the chapter to remain a theatre of competing claims and legal battles.

The concern is not simply about who occupies the chairmanship, but whether ANLCA’s national leadership has the capacity to enforce its constitution fairly and restore confidence among members.

Abuja Airport Chapter: Where is the election?

Another major source of discontent is the situation at the Abuja Airport Chapter, where the failure to conduct or conclude a generally accepted election has become a significant issue among aggrieved members.

The Abuja Chapter occupies an important position in ANLCA’s national structure, given its location in the nation’s political and administrative capital.

Consequently, the inability to resolve its leadership succession through a credible electoral process raises questions about the administration’s commitment to internal democracy.

A chairmanship aspirant, Solademi Abdulmajid, had publicly flagged off his campaign for the Abuja Airport Chapter election in January 2025, in an event reportedly attended by representatives of government and security agencies as well as the association’s national leadership.

Yet, the subsequent status of the electoral process remains a matter requiring clarification.

Aggrieved members reportedly consider the prolonged uncertainty unacceptable, insisting that chapter leadership should derive its legitimacy from constitutional elections rather than administrative arrangements that leave members divided.

They question why an administration that has spent three years in office has been unable to provide a clear and acceptable electoral resolution in such an important chapter.

For them, the Abuja situation represents another missed opportunity to demonstrate that Nwokeoji’s administration is committed to strengthening democratic institutions within the association.

Three years on, what has changed?

Beyond the two airport chapters, the broader criticism against Nwokeoji’s administration concerns what some members perceive as the failure to translate the promise of reconciliation into measurable institutional achievements.

ANLCA’s previous leadership crisis under former National President, Chief Tony Iju Nwabunike, had left the association deeply divided, with competing interests and prolonged disagreements affecting its operations.

Nwokeoji therefore assumed office with an enormous responsibility to rebuild trust and demonstrate that the association could move beyond personality-driven politics.

However, critics argue that the continued disagreements over chapter leadership, administrative interventions, electoral processes and the interpretation of constitutional provisions suggest that the fundamental problems confronting ANLCA have not been adequately addressed.

They maintain that reconciliation cannot be achieved through political declarations, meetings or the appointment of individuals to positions of authority.

Rather, it requires fairness, transparency, respect for constitutional provisions and the willingness to accommodate opposing interests.

According to this school of thought, the failure to achieve lasting settlements in strategic chapters raises legitimate questions about whether the national leadership has approached the unity project with the urgency and impartiality it requires.

The cost of a divided ANLCA

The implications of the persistent divisions extend beyond internal leadership contests.

ANLCA is one of the most important professional associations in Nigeria’s customs brokerage and freight forwarding industry.

Its ability to engage the Nigeria Customs Service, the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, shipping companies, terminal operators and other government agencies depends significantly on its institutional credibility and capacity to speak with one voice.

At a time when Nigeria’s port operations, customs procedures and international trade environment are undergoing significant reforms, a divided ANLCA risks weakening the collective interests of its members.

Aggrieved members believe that the national leadership should be more concerned about strengthening the association’s institutional structures than allowing internal political disagreements to consume valuable time and resources.

They argue that members deserve an association where elections are conducted when due, disciplinary procedures are transparent, leadership decisions are respected and disputes are resolved through established constitutional mechanisms.

Nwokeoji owes members explanations

Three years into his administration, Nwokeoji faces questions that cannot be answered by appeals to the difficulties of inheriting a divided association.

What concrete reconciliation measures have been implemented to resolve the MMIA Chapter crisis?

Why has the Abuja Airport Chapter election not been conclusively resolved?

What institutional mechanisms have been established to prevent recurring leadership disputes?

And, perhaps most importantly, what legacy of unity and institutional stability will his administration leave behind?

These are questions that deserve clear answers from the national president, particularly from members who expected his administration to end the prolonged era of factionalism.

While no national president can reasonably be expected to resolve every disagreement within a professional association, three years should ordinarily provide sufficient time to demonstrate measurable progress in addressing inherited institutional problems.

Nwokeoji’s supporters may point to the challenges of managing competing interests and the complexity of ANLCA’s internal politics. Nevertheless, the responsibility for providing direction, building consensus and ensuring that constitutional processes function effectively ultimately rests with the national leadership.

The administration still has an opportunity to change the narrative by initiating genuine reconciliation, resolving the outstanding chapter disputes and ensuring that future elections are conducted transparently.

But until these issues are addressed, the central question surrounding his presidency will remain: Did Nwokeoji come to unite ANLCA, or has the association remained trapped in the same cycle of division three years after his emergence?

For an association that desperately needs unity to protect its members’ professional and economic interests, the answer will ultimately determine how his presidency is remembered.

Photo Caption: Mr. Emenike Nwokeoji, ANLCA National President.

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