After the stakeholders engagement yesterday concerning the controversial Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) valuation that has raised dust at the ports since introduction, The Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, Zone A, ACG, Modupe Aremu, who spoke on behalf of Customs representatives agreed the issue be revisited at the Customs management meeting taking place today at the Customs headquarters in Abuja , promising for a feedback Friday.
While some clearing agents that attended the meeting made their grievances known which Customs noted, some other agents shunned the meeting out rightly.
Speaking to DFC News on why they dumped the stakeholders engagement, Chief Osita Chukwu, Coordinator, Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders Importers and Exporters Coalition (SNFFIEC) said the engagement was just a ploy to soften the clearing agents to call off their protest.
He said he has studied the regime of the present Customs Comptroller General, Col. Hameed Ali, rtd and it would be foolhardy to believe that anything good would come out of the discussion.
“They said Friday, watch and see if you would hear anything positive. Even when they deceive you they would adjust anything, they would use another means to collect it back from you.”
Some other agents who refused to attend the meeting said until these regime ends, they would never believe anything coming from the Customs or the CBN as the policies are designed to impoverish them.
“All these policies you see are targeted at Igbo people because they are the ones importing. So how do you expect anything positive to come out of the discussion.
“With the so called VIN valuation, you import a vehicle for N10m, you pay a duty of N25m. Does it not show that something is wrong,” Osita said.
Most of the agents told DFC News that as long as Ali is on that seat, they will never trust any policy coming from the stable because it is targeted to impoverish a certain group.
“Igbos are major importers but do you see any Igbo CAC in Lagos ports or even Port Harcourt, that is closer. Does it not tell you something.”
Despite the dissension and doubt, most stakeholders that attended the meeting are optimistic that the Nigeria Customs Service will keep to their promise of revisiting the policy which has made duty payable on cars to hit the roof.
The freight forwarders however demanded a 90 day extension be given to enable them to clear the backlog of vehicles trapped at the seaports as a result of the implementation of VIN.
Clearing agents on the 21st February, crippled economic activities at the Lagos ports with protest at the Tin Can Island Port and PTML Terminal over the anomalies in the VIN valuation system policy introduced by the NCS for imported vehicles.
The protest took place after the expiration of the 72 hours strike notice issued by all registered freight forwarding associations operating at the PTML Terminal and Tin Can Island port in Lagos for review of the policy.
Picture: Customs CG, Col Hameed Ali, rtd.
