By Steve Agbota
The Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning has approved implementation of the ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET) 2022-2026 which provides for a slash in import duty of pickup vehicles to 10 per cent without payment of the controversial National Automotive Council (NAC) levy.
The circular obtained by Daily Sun dated April 8, 2022 signed by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed. was transmitted to the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Col Hameed Ali. The Minister instructed that single and double cabin pickup vehicles under the heading of 87.04 should attract 10 per cent import duty with no levy, both old and new.
However, freight forwarders who spoke with newsmen, lamented that a long line of pickup trucks are currently trapped at the PTML Customs Command because the Customs Area Controller of the command has refused to comply with the directive. The freight forwarders claimed that the Tin Can Island Port Customs Command under is already implementing the directive.
However, Public Relations Officer of the PTML Customs Command, Mr Yakubu Muhammed, debunked the allegations of the freight forwarders.
Yakubu stated that the headquarters of the Nigeria Customs Service has not given the command an official circular to commence implementation of the directive a contained in Finance Ministry’s CET 2022-2026.
“This is a national policy, if the Federal Ministry of Finance has anything, they want to change on Policy, they send it directly to Customs headquarters, this is the official channel.
“After this, the headquarters does a coverage letter and sent it to the various commands.The freight forwarders came to our office today and we explained to them, that the Area Comptroller has to hear from the headquarters before he can know what to do.
“Even at the Tin Can that they said the implementation is ongoing, its all lies, we spoke with the Comptroller not long ago,” he said. The PRO said Comptroller Okun had called the customs headquarters on this issue, seeking clarification, but that the headquarters has not given him the permission or go ahead to implement.