By Abubakar Yunusa
The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Abuja Chapter, on Wednesday, expressed overwhelming support for Alhaji Chief Solademi Abdulmajid as he vies for the chairmanship of the association’s Abuja Airport Chapter.
The chapter reaffirmed its commitment to a rotational leadership system, emphasizing the importance of honoring a gentleman’s agreement to shift the chairmanship to the Southwest.
The endorsement was announced during the official flag-off of Abdulmajid’s campaign. Speaking at the event, Alhaji Prince Badmos Ayo, a founding father of ANLCA, expressed confidence in Abdulmajid’s leadership potential, predicting a positive transformation under his administration.
Ayo said: “If the foundation is not good, it is rotting, then the best thing is to demolish the foundation and build another one. We cannot even count because when we talk about our GDP, after oil, revenue from the oil industry, the next revenue is from customs. And we, the agents, are the movers and shakers of the revenue.
“So, I can say that we contributed a lot to the revenue generation of this country through the clearing of cargo from the customs-bonded warehouses.”
Speaking at the event, stakeholders praised Abdulmajid as a man of integrity, capable of leading the association toward equity, fairness, and justice. Many attendees emphasized his years of dedication to ANLCA and his leadership qualities.
In his speech, Abdulmajid outlined his vision for ANLCA, promising to lead with integrity, inclusiveness, and innovation. He pledged to prioritize transparency, accountability, and the welfare of members.
He said: “I offer myself to serve as your chairman and promise to lead ANLCA into a future driven by commitment, unity, and a shared purpose. My administration will be based on integrity, resilience, and inclusive governance.”
He called on members to join hands with him to transform ANLCA and achieve excellence.
He expressed profound gratitude to Almighty Allah and to everyone present to witness the rise of renewed hope in ANLCA and the flag-off campaign of his candidacy as the next elected chairman of ANLCA Abuja Airport chapter.
On his part, the immediate past chairman, Alh. Abdulrahir Abdulsalam, described Abdulmajid as a man of integrity, a person you can trust.
He said: “This election is all about being fair, equitable, and just to all sections of the country. He has been our member over the years. The young man in question, Sholademi Abdulmajid, is from the southwest. That is why the majority of stakeholders, 90% of them, endorse him as their preferred candidate for this election.
“So, that is why I throw my weight behind him. He’s a personal friend. We have had a relationship over the years. So, he has the ability and capacity to deliver as chairman of ANLCA Abuja Airport. So, all that is required of a chairman, he already has it.”
Addressing concerns about regional representation, Abdulsalam stressed the need to respect existing agreements.
He added, “We have one other contestant who is from North Central. That is why, for me, I can’t support him because we have a gentleman’s agreement that we should shift the chairmanship to the southwest.
“So, for any reasonable member here who is fair to himself, we all agree that it is the turn of the southwest to have chairmanship for two tenures. Because our tenure for the chairman is three years, while it’s four years for the president of the association.
“So, therefore, for the next six years, we believe the southwest should be the saddle of leadership here. That is why you see that the majority of us from the north who are practicing throw our weight behind him. Yes, the other candidate is from the north, but we’re not supporting him because we want to alter the agreement we have. We don’t do that.”
He promised to run an open administration based on a foundation of integrity, resilience, inclusive governance, and an unwavering passion and support for membership growth through innovation and embracing emerging technologies as an enabler to strengthen practitioners at the Chapter for the benefit of all.
However, Abdulmajid promised to lead an open, inclusive administration, leveraging technology and innovation to strengthen members and the association.
He assured stakeholders of his commitment to advancing the chapter’s goals and welfare while maintaining a foundation of equity and justice.
