Senate orders Customs Service to suspend duties on old vehicles

The Senate yesterday directed the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to suspend the proposed plan to collect duties on old and new vehicles in the country.

Following a point of order raised by the Senate Deputy Leader, Senator Bala Na'Allah, the Senate, in a resolution, said the status quo should be maintained until the Comptroller-General of Customs appeared before its relevant committees to explain the rationale behind the policy.

Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, said the Customs directive on vehicle duties contravenes the law and will, therefore, not stand.

'This is a very straightforward motion and our responsibility here is to ensure that we oversight agencies and ensure that they comply with the law. It is very clear that this circular does not meet the requirement of the law. The Customs Committee should quickly look into this matter and come out with a way forward,' Saraki noted.

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who spoke extensively on the issue, called on his colleagues to resist the new directive by Customs. He said the directive was illegal and lacks common sense, adding that the policy was retrogressive. He said punishments could not be melted out over an action taken years ago.

Ekweremadu said: 'Just last week, one of our colleagues raised a motion in respect of people that bought bags of rice and some tins of groundnut oil taken to their houses and Customs came into those houses, harassed them and took away those items on the pretence that appropriate Customs duties were not paid or they were prohibited materials.

'Today, we have been inundated, again, with another development, where owners of cars bought many years ago are being asked show Customs papers or pay appropriate Customs duties.

'Let me also say that we share the concerns of the Customs boss on raising revenue to run our country, but unfortunately, it cannot be at the expense of common sense and illegality.

'Government is run on the principles of checks and balances. It is our responsibility to call the executive to order where recklessness is introduced in governance of any country and I believe that our constitution is clear on who does what at any time.

'Not even the National Assembly itself can impose punishment on crime that was committed years ago. It cannot happen. If we cannot do that, the Customs cannot do that either. What they are doing is totally unacceptable and we must say no to it.'

Senator Dino Melaye, who seconded the motion, lampooned Customs boss, saying that under a democratic setting, the policy will not work. He added that if allowed to stay, Customs officers would be corrupted, while Nigeria would bear the harsh brunt.

Melaye remarked: 'What the Nigeria Customs has done by this announcement is pure advertisement of incapacitation and incompetence. An innocent Nigerian, who went to Kano or Kubwa, approached a dealer and bought a vehicle, five to seven years ago, will now be stopped for stop-and-search by Customs, perhaps, on a day he is rushing his son to the hospital and they will ask him if he paid correct duty for the car he bought from a dealer. He was not the one that cleared this vehicle. He was not the one that imported this vehicle.

'I was thinking the Comptroller General of Customs would react to what the Senate had said, that he stops wearing 'agbada' up and down and wear the uniform of the Nigeria Customs and be proud of it. Then he would identify and know how to do the work properly.  It is ridiculous that no Nigerian went into Apapa port and drove out an imported vehicle without the satanic collaboration of Customs officers.

'Having failed in their duties and responsibilities, as a result of indoctrinated and imbibed corruption, they now want us to pay for their incompetence and their failure. It will not happen in a democratic setting when you have a vibrant and a sincere 8th Senate.

'We should send a message to the Comptroller-General of Customs that old things have passed away and behold, everything has become new. He should go and man our borders. He should preach to all Customs officers to become born again and to start collecting appropriate amounts for Customs and Import Duties, not to chase innocent Nigerians, who are hungry and on 001 to pay for duties.

'The hunger in the land is enough. The confusion in the land is enough and this is the reason President Olusegun Obasanjo banned Customs from checking vehicles on the road in 2007. Because this will become another avenue for Customs to start collecting N100, thereby corrupting them on the streets of Nigeria.

'The appropriate committee must call the Nigeria Customs to order and protect the masses of this country.'

Saraki referred other lawmakers, who wanted to speak on the issue to the Senate Committee on Customs and Excise. He mandated the committee to act quickly, but gave no time frame, within which the committee will report back.

The NCS, had, in a statement issued last week on its behalf by the acting spokesman, Mr. Joseph Atta, urged car owners, who were yet to pay Customs duty to do so between March 13 and April 12, 2017.

The statement issued by NCS read in part: 'All persons in possession of such vehicles should take advantage of the grace period to pay appropriate dues on them, as there will be an aggressive anti-smuggling operation to seize as well as prosecute owners of such smuggled vehicles after the deadline of April 12.

'For the avoidance of doubt, all private car owners who are not sure of the authenticity of their vehicles' Customs documents can also approach the zonal offices to verify, with a view to complying with the provision of the law.'

On January 10, 2017, the Senate passed a resolution and called on the Federal Government to suspend action on the enforcement of the ban on the importation of vehicles through land borders. The directive was rebuffed by the leadership of Customs, which went ahead to implement the ban on 'second-hand vehicles importation through land borders. - The Sun.