Maritime industry stakeholders have fingered the harsh economy as the main reason there is an increase in the importation of over-aged vehicles into the country.
Recall that Shipping Position Daily reported exclusively last week that over 70% of the imported used vehicles coming into the nation, especially through the seaports, violate the government age policy on imported vehicles.
But, in separate interviews with our correspondent, experts including the founder of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN) Dr. Frank Ukor and the President of the Shippers Association, Lagos state (SALS) Rev. Jonathan Nicol fingered the harsh economy of the country as the major reason over aged vehicles flood the nation.
Ukor explained that with the current economic situation of the country, it is only a few Nigerians that can be able to afford a new model of vehicles, adding that they bring in the ones they can afford to pay for the duty and buy.
“Well, you know the situation of things in the country; over aged vehicles are the ones Nigerians can afford to bring in to drive, so that they can have cars. If they bring in current vehicles, like 2017-2018 for instance, how many Nigerians can afford it, so that is the problem. So they bring in vehicles that they can afford to clear and buy”, he argued.
He however lauded the officers of the Nigeria Customs Service for being ‘lenient’ with some of the policies and allowing the vehicles to come in.
“And custom are making it easy for us; they know the condition of the country and they allow such vehicles to come in, because if they don’t, there will be problem on the clearing and buying. So I commend what the customs are doing in the area of allowing these vehicles come in”, he concluded.
Also speaking, Nicol said that importation of such vehicles have been a huge source of business for many Nigerians that deal in spare parts, adding that some of the vehicles are refurbished when imported thereby creating works for many Nigerians.
“If you look at the economic situation of the country, of course you know we have a depot for used engines, where one can always buy engines. So when you now buy body of cars, you will now buy a better engine in them and you have a car to use. So it is not that the over aged vehicles are all imported, some of them are refurbished when imported”
He blamed the government policy to provide a good transport system as one of the reasons why such vehicles still come in even as he added that the situation is never a threat to the government.
“Again, the failure of the government policy the government has not been able to provide good transport system for her citizens and thereby making some Nigerians to have cars that are old. So when they bring the over aged vehicles, the engines might not be good what they need to do is to remove the engines and put another one and the car will be fine. So we don’t look at that as a threat to the government from the people”, he explained.
Speaking further on the collaboration between customs officers and importers to violate the government’s policy on age limit for vehicles, he debunked the rumor saying that the service is applying their best judgment.
Nicol however said that rather, officers of the service should be commended for their judgment, adding that if they choose to be strict with the policy nobody will own a car.
“On the assumption that customs are collaborating with importers to violate the government policy on age limit of cars, I don’t think the customs are collaborating with the importers to violate the age limit policy”, he concluded.
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