THE National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) has been given a 7-day ultimatum to desist from the production and issuance of ‘the so-called Nigerian Travel Practitioners Identification Card” to the public.
NANTA inaugurated the Traveller’s ID Card ceremoniously and publicly on Tuesday, 26 June, 2018 at Landmark Centre, Lagos.
In the letter served unto the NANTA President, Mr Bernard Bankole, from Yinka Olujimi and Company, Legal Practitioners, with the headline “Illegal Introduction of a Purported Nigerian Travel Practitioners Identification Card” on behalf of Mr Wale Ojo-Lanre, a tourism stakeholder who averred that the inauguration of such a scheme is not only Ultra Vires and one outside the purview of the objectives of the association but also a breach of his fundamental human right and a threat to the nation.
Ojo-Lanre in the letter pointed out that Mr. Bernard Bankole, during the inauguration of the scheme, claimed that his action was in collaboration with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), a corporate entity which has no statutory mandate to venture into the production and issuance of such a document.
“By the nomenclature, the scheme is a misrepresentation of its nature and reaches as it purports to be an official national travelers‘ document for all Nigerians,” Ojo-Lanre said.
He also averred that the action of the association has set confusion into Nigeria and its citizens will no longer know the appropriate travel document to take along when traveling out of the country.
He pointed out that “as a tourism journalist and practitioner, who is not a member of your organization, your action is a breach of my various fundamental human rights as guaranteed him by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
He opined: “You will, no doubt, agree with us that the action of your organization is an egregious breach of Nigerian laws, an invitation to chaos in the travel industry and a crime against the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Ojo–Lanre, therefore, called on NANTA to “desist, forthwith from issuing the purported national travellers’ identity to within 7 days of the delivery of this letter to you, including the day of the delivery, your course to be published in three national newspapers, a public notice announcing the withdrawal of the so-called National Identity Card Scheme.”
He warned that “Please note that if you fail, neglect and or refuse to meet the above demands, and within the time demanded, our client is resolved to enforce his right as well as those of other citizens against you.”
However, efforts to get the response of the NANTA President on the receipt of the letter and the position of the association on the development was not successful as at the time of publishing this story.
