Importers under the aegis of NdigboAmaka Progressive Association, Southeast Lagos in collaboration with the Shippers Association of Lagos State (SALS) on Wednesday raised the alarm that about 12,000 imported vehicles are currently trapped at the ports in Lagos due to the ongoing strike action by clearing agents against the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Valuation introduced by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). This is even as they said the trapped vehicles have already incurred N600m in demurrages and other charges.
Speaking during a media briefing jointly organised by NdigboAmaka Progressive Association and Shippers Association of Lagos State on Wednesday in Lagos, Chairman, SALS, Reverend Jonathan Nicol expressed dissatisfaction with the VIN policy, stating that 12000 vehicles trapped at the ports are already accumulating demurrages and terminal storage charges amounting to over N600million.
According to Reverend Nicol, “The VIN regime must be discarded and be suspended immediately. They must make sure that all the trapped vehicles are given accelerated clearance from the ports without major demurrages because the challenge was not created by importers
These 12000 vehicles attract daily demurrages and shipping line charges and that is quite enormous by the time you quantify how much importers are paying for demurrages, it is amounting to over N600million. We cannot continue to accommodate such expenses anymore.
“Never in the history has the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) made over N1trillion as Customs duty and now they are making N2trillion. Is that not enough for them? The VIN policy is pathetic and we think enough is enough.”
Earlier, the President of NdigboAmaka, Dr Jude Ringo Okeke said its colleagues in the Freight Forwarding business has been having a bitter experience with the Nigerian Customs Service and other government agencies in the clearing of their consignments, noting that the barrage of complaints has reached its pinnacle as they cannot bear it any further.
He also added that the regime of the VIN should be suspended indefinitely.
He added that the introduction of VIN was not to the knowledge of importers.
“We are not with them (Customs) in this VIN regime. We want to be consulted in major decisions affecting our businesses. We shall not hesitate to shut down the markets if decisions like this involving the traders, importers and majorly the public is done without our input as critical stakeholders,” he threatened.
He said government policies are making it impossible for its members to pay back the loans borrowed to run their operations.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents
In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state…
Selfies, video calls and Chinese documentaries: The things you’ll meet onboard Lagos-Ibadan train
The Lagos-Ibadan railway was inaugurated recently for a full paid operation by the Nigerian Railway Corporation after about a year of free test-run. Our reporter joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report.…
and then