It was celebration galore on Monday September 11 as members of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) in the Eastern Zone trooped out in their numbers to receive the newly elected president of the association Mr. Emenike Nwokeoji in Port Harcourt the Rivers State capital.
The reception, which started at the Port Harcourt International Airport Omagwa where Mr. Nwokeoji was received by the leaders of the association from the Eastern Zone, climaxed at the corporate office of his company, Allied Marine Services Ltd, along the ever busy Eleme-Onne Road in Port Harcourt where the new president was treated to a red carpet with pomp and pageantry.
The new ANLCA president, Nwokeoji, expressed appreciation to the members of the association for the support he got during the election, while describing his victory as a divine grace of God, and reiterating his determination for service to the association and nation in general.
While calling on ANLCA members to support his leadership to move the association forward, he said the task of administering the body should be seen as a collective effort of all and sundry. Nwokeoji commended the support and role played by the former president of the association, Sir Chief Earnest Elochukwu, towards his victory, describing him as a role model and pacesetter whose`contributions to growth of ANLCA cannot be over emphasized.
Nwokeoji further called on members to legitimize their business by getting their operational licenses, adding that the era of operating without license will soon be a thing of the past under his leadership. He stressed that operating without a license was limiting them and making them look like touts, and urged them to form cooperatives to enable them raise the necessary fund for their license.
Former President of the association and Board of Trustees (BOT) member, Chief Sir Earnest Elochukwu, commended Mr. Nwokeoji for been an agent of change with his emergence as the national president and expressed confidence in his ability to deliver on his mandate.
He said he (Elochukwu) was one of those who stood to ensure that the right thing was done in the association, and were called names, adding that they have been vindicated with the emergence of Emenike as president of ANLCA, and called on the members to support the new administration to succeed.
Former zonal chairman, Chief Uche Martins, expressed optimism that ANLCA will be taken to a higher level under Emenike Nwokeoji and called for support to the new administration.
In her speech, Dr. Chinyere Celestina Okere expressed optimism that Emenike’s leadership will usher in new hope and breathe of fresh air to the association and called for collective efforts in order to achieve success.
