The Chairman of Area 1 Oil and Gas Chapter of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) in Rivers State, Mr. Joshua Iheoma has sent an appeal to the Federal Government for oil and gas equipment, especially rig components, should be excluded from the export prohibition list.
Ihuoma told Shipping Position Daily last week in Lagos that many of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) find it difficult to move their equipment outside whenever they have a contract outside the country.
The Chairman of Area 1 Oil and Gas Chapter of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) in Rivers State, Mr. Joshua Iheoma has sent an appeal to the Federal Government for oil and gas equipment, especially rig components, should be excluded from the export prohibition list.
Ihuoma told Shipping Position Daily last week in Lagos that many of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) find it difficult to move their equipment outside whenever they have a contract outside the country.
According to him, the export prohibition list stipulates that once customs duty has been paid on the equipment shipped into Nigeria, it is prohibited from being exported.
He called on the national leadership of his association; ANLCA to make necessary representation to the National Assembly to ensure that oil and gas related equipment are expunged from the export prohibition list.
He told our correspondent that, "If you have an oil rig in Nigeria and after operating it for five or six years, there will be need to export either part of the rig to another country where you have a new contract, but because of the export prohibition that says that once duty has been paid on the equipment it is now prohibited from being exported"
He lamented that this has been a problem to operators in the oil and gas industry in Rivers State.
"On the export prohibition, ANLCA should call on the National Assembly to exclude oil and gas related equipment from the export prohibition once duty has been paid"
Ihuoma also lamented the wrong classification of oil related materials like pipes, saying that all pipes do not have the same value and that the material component cannot be the same.
"Therefore, using a benchmark for every three inches or nine inches pipe cannot work in the oil and gas sector" he stressed
"Even though most of our clients are ready to comply with the law, but they are always arguing about it" Ihuoma added.
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