About two and half years after the federal government placed a ban on the importation of vehicles through the land borders, the Nigeria Customs Service has explained that the decision of the government was informed by the fact that the government did not have reliable system that will assist in controlling importation.
It added that importation of vehicles through land borders was tasking the service’s anti-smuggling efforts, leading to loss of lives and revenue.
The Controller General of Customs, Col Hammed Ali(Rtd) said this last week at a sensitization event on Nigeria/Benin Bilateral Connectivity program, which held in Seme. He also said that service and the Benin Republic Customs have created an automated platform that would ensure bilateral connectivity.
Ali who was represented at the event by an Assistant Controller in charge of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Benjamin Aber, also said that with the new bilateral connectivity with Benin Republic Customs, declarations made for imports transiting from either of the countries will be electronically shared.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that in December 5, 2016, the Federal Government announced a ban on importation of used and new vehicles through land borders with effect from January 1, 2017.
He however said that the process of import and export will now be done at once, in such a way that there is no repetition of the process.
“Vehicles were formerly being imported through Seme border, but suddenly it was banned, because the pressure of enforcement of anti smuggling for vehicles and claiming of lives and revenue was becoming too alarming, so government had to restrict the importation through Nigerian ports”
Ali however explained that by the time the government successfully deploys reliable and transparent process the government may restrict the directive on ban on land importation of vehicles.
“By the time we successfully deploy this reliable, transparent and predictable that would assist government agencies, not only customs, to control and regulate the importation of vehicles, Government may decide to relax such restrictions”.
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