Senate, Customs Service on collision course over ban on land border car importation

- The Nigerian senate is rejecting the ban on land importation of cars, a policy put forward by the Nigerian Customs Service

- It has called on the custom service and the federal government to rescind the decision for the benefit of all Nigerians

- Despite the decision of the senate, the custom service led by Hameed Ali has directed its compliance team to ensure compliance

The Nigerian senate has asked its committee on Customs and Excise duties to investigate the sudden decision of the federal government to ban importation of cars through the land borders.

Vanguard reports that the senate rejected the outright ban on car importation through the country’s land borders, an action which the custom service has planned to begin from January 1, 2017.

The senate believes that the decision was not anti-people but also capable of causing more hunger to the Nigerian people.

The decision was brought to the floor of the Senate by Senator Barau Jibrin, representing Kano North in the National Assembly.

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However, despite the rejection of the move by the senate, Vanguard reports that the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali, has directed operatives of the Headquarters Compliance Team and Federal Operations Unit of the service to go ahead against the decision of the senate.

Public relations officer of the customs service, in a statement, defended the action of the custom saying: the porous border or compromise of some custom officers and that of other agencies was given advantage to smugglers to shortchange the nation.

He said despite the fact that Nigeria has more equipped port facilities, emerging facts indicate that more than 90 percent of cars shipped to other neigbouring countries are from Nigeria.

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He was quoted to have said that: “Though duty rates chargeable for motor vehicles at both land borders and seaports remain the same, importers of these vehicles exploit the informality of land border trade, since they are not usually manifested for Nigeria ports to either smuggle through the porous border or compromise some Customs officers and that of other agencies to short change the nation”.

Senate Deputy President Ike Ekweremadu, called on President Muhammdu Buhari to look into the issue and reverse the decision for the benefit of Nigerians.