Even as port operations at Tin Can Island Port and PTML have been halted due to the implementation of Vehicles Identification Number (VIN) policy for over a week , the Nigerian Shippers’Council (NSC) has assured freight forwarders and licensed customs agents that it would engage management of Nigeria Customs Service in resolving the lingering protest .
Executive Secretary of the Council , Emmanuel Jime who gave the assurance on Friday in Lagos during a meeting with freight agents , expressed worries over the week long protest saying that the maritime sector plays critical role to revenue generation of the federal government.
Jime who spoke with members of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) appealed for the leaders of the associations to suspend the protest and give room for dialogue adding that the council will engage management of the Nigeria Customs Service in the coming days.
The Nigerian Shippers’ Council boss further appealed to the freight forwarding associations to resume the clearing of cargoes from Tin-Can Island Port calling for the establishment of a committee that guide management on the best way out of the protest.
However, he called on the freight forwarding groups to step down action by calling off the strike to enable the Council to champion further negotiations on the issue with the management of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
The Executive Secretary of the NSC, described the actions of the freight forwarding groups as a patriotic move, which is for the benefit of both the consumers and the economy at large.
He said the protest was not against the newly introduced Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) valuation policy but against the methodology of its implementation.
He assured the group that the Council will escalate the matter till both parties reached an understanding.
Meanwhile, National Secretary of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Mukaila Babatunde, said that the new VIN policy does not put into consideration the wear and tear as well as the depression value on vehicles when generating Customs duties to be paid on imported cars.
The ANLCA scribe further explained that the younger freight forwarders are deeply involved in the clearance of vehicles from the ports and they are very difficult to convince in order to call off the protest.
“Customs has refused to openly address the issue associated with the new policy after admitting to the fact that there is error associated with the policy.
“Citing example, a 2012 model of car, which is not supposed to have market value of more than N4 million now has about N12 million as value with the new valuation system of Customs, which is outrageous,” he said.
On that basis, he emphasised that the freight forwarding groups will not call off the protest as requested by the Council.
Also, Deputy National President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Segun Musa urged Customs to go back to manual valuation of vehicles till the issues associated with the new policy are resolved.
“We will allow for the operations and clearance of general cargo but RoRo clearance, which involves clearing vehicles will still be on hold till we hear from the Shippers’ Council on the outcome of the discussion with Customs,” he added.
He said that rather than encourage trade facilitation, the new policy would rather encourage smuggling in of vehicles by importers who want to run away from paying the new ‘outrageous duties’ imposed on imported cars to the government through Customs.
“This will push importers away, companies will shut down while jobs would be loss, and government will be using limited resources to buy guns to fight smugglers,” he said.
Another chieftain of NAGAFF , Reverend Emmanuel Agunbanze expressed dissatisfaction over the alleged grandstainding by customs and that the protest if not resolved would lead to economic backwardness.
By Roland Ekama
Caption:
Group Photograph shortly after a meeting between management of the Nigerian Shippers’Council and Freight Forwarders on Friday in Lagos
