Even though they claimed to have been in compliance with all extant Custom regulations guiding vehicle importation , importers of vehicles under the aegis of United Berger Motor Dealers have threatened to abandon the seaports and borders and embrace smuggling.
The threat is coming as a result of alleged unfriendly policies of government on vehicle importation and what they referred to as delays occasioned by activities officers of the Nigeria Custom Service at the Tin Can, PTML and Apapa ports; all in Lagos.
Even though they claimed to have been in compliance with all extant Custom regulations guiding vehicle importation , importers of vehicles under the aegis of United Berger Motor Dealers have threatened to abandon the seaports and borders and embrace smuggling.
The threat is coming as a result of alleged unfriendly policies of government on vehicle importation and what they referred to as delays occasioned by activities officers of the Nigeria Custom Service at the Tin Can, PTML and Apapa ports; all in Lagos.
The operators lamented that it takes at least one week to clear imported vehicles from the port, unlike what obtains in the Cotonou and Lome port in Benin Republic and Togo respectively where, according to them, it is done in 24hours.
Speaking with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos yesterday, an importer and Chairman, Mesau Concept Dealers Forum, a division under the United Berger Motor Dealers, Mr. Raymond Ezenwaka acknowledged that going through the bush by importers will deny the government of accruable revenue.
"As I am talking to you, 80 percent of our people have stopped patronizing Cotonou, majority of us are now bringing in our vehicles through Lagos port, this is just to show that we are complying with government directives, only few are still going by the bush", he stated.
"Government should be very conscious of any decision they are taking now, what will make us to go back to the bush is what they are doing now, increasing duty and cost of clearance, when we see that it is too much on us then we will go to the other side, we will enter the bush", he threatened.
"We pay duty and do everything normally over there and when the car comes here, it will still be cheaper to sell and we make gains, but after paying the rigorous duties here, the price becomes higher, and when you sell you will not make anything and this is investment that runs into millions", he lamented.
According to Ezenwaka, Cotonou and Lome ports release vehicles within 24 hours. He stressed further that Nigeria has not started experiencing the 48 hours clearance, "unless they are doing it only with government officials"
Also speaking with Shipping Position Daily, another importer at Everyday Motors at Mechie Park, Berger in Lagos, Mr. Dabo Onyebuchi lamented that there are too many desk to pass through in clearing vehicles at the port and this further add to the delays.
According to him, some of the officers need to be sacked or checkmate because they are responsible for the delays as a result of their constant demand for bribe.
"If you go to Cotonou to buy a car, it gets out of the port the same day, but in the case of our port, it takes a longer time to get out of the port, it will go from one officer’s table to the other, thereby causing delays", he alleged.
"There are too many desk; quarantine, narcotics and so on, these are not people that are supposed to take charge of vehicles".
Onyebuchi alleged that some of the vehicles are also usually damaged within the terminals because nobody takes care of them.
"Before you know it, they have vandalized it and tamper with the accessories" he alleged further.
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