The Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd), has directed operatives of the Headquarters Compliance Team and Federal Operations Units of the service to compliment the resident officers of land borders to ensure total compliance with the ban on importation of vehicles into the country through land borders.
The order, according to the Acting NCS spokesman, Asst. Compt Joseph Attah, has become imperative pointing out that 90 per cent of vehicles imported into neibghouring countries are on transit to Nigeria.
“Regrettably, despite Nigeria’s bigger and more equipped port facilities, statistics has shown that more than 90 per cent of vehicles imported into neighbouring countries are on transit to Nigeria market.
“Though duty rates chargeable for motor vehicles at both land borders and seaports remain the same, importers of these vehicles exploit the informality of land border trade, since they are not usually manifested for Nigeria ports to either smuggle through the porous border or compromise some Customs Officers and that of other agencies to short change the nation.
“The CGC charged the anti-smuggling squads to ensure total blockage such that no desperate vehicle importer gets his or her to smuggle in the trapped vehicles,” Mr. Attah quoted Col Alli , as saying.
He said apart from being a statutory function of NCS to implement Government Fiscal Policies, as Nigerians, the advantages and opportunities inherent in the policy is a motivation to ensure compliance.
The merits of the policy, according to the customs helmsman, include: suppression of smuggling; and job opportunities with the eventual emergence of bonded car parks for vehicles around the country which will also lead to the emergence of bank branches and mechanic villages around the bonded car parks, with job opportunities for Nigerians.
He added that a high volume of vehicle cargo for shippers will boost capacity and optimize use of facilities at our ports and car parks, as well as, higher revenue for the three tiers of Government to discharge their responsibilities to Nigerians.
The high volume vehicle cargo, the C-G said can lead to ill reduce handling charges.
Importing vehicles through the seaports , the Customs boss argued would ensure duty payment for vehicle buyers giving more confidence on the road without Customs interception.
“Curiously, Nigerians are being told that over 10,000 vehicles are already trapped ten days into the enforcement of the policy when statistics shows vehicles properly imported through the land borders from January 2014 – 31 December 2016 was only 209,691 with N38,551,569,751.00 paid as duty. Smuggled vehicles seized within the same period was 5,998 with duty paid value of N10,271,734,415.36.
“Beyond revenue loss, allowing a system that is fraught with security implications in our present fragile security situation will not be a patriotic thing to do,” he said, while urging stakeholders to cooperate with the NCS to achieve the objectives of the policy.
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