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By Kenneth Jukpor
Following reports that some operatives of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and Customs Licensed Agents connive to circumvent the auto-policy guidelines of the federal government, some conditions for accepting vehicles older than 15 years in the country
The NCS in defence has argued that there is no connivance of such between the service and the Customs Licensed Agents.
In a chat with our correspondent, last week, the Public Relations Officer of the Tin Can Island Command, Mr. Uche Ejieseme explained that bringing in overaged vehicles for personal use is not prohibited but such vehicles become prohibited if it is brought for commercial purposes.
Uche noted that according to Schedule 3 and 4 of the Common External Tariff (CET), vehicles are not prohibited when they are overage yet imported for personal use.
His words: “The concerns you raised pertaining to what you called influx of overaged vehicles contrary to the extant guidelines, I think it is important to draw your attention to schedule 3 and 4 of the Common Externall Tariff (CET) if you go to schedule 3, it is talking about first import prohibition list (Trade) and if you go to schedule four you will see absolute prohibition other than trade”
“What this simply means is that for instance if you cannot import such items in a commercial quantity, that will give impression that you are coming to sell at merchandise. So, in this instance if somebody bring in an overage vehicle it doesn’t qualify to be contraband because you are not bringing it for trade purpose.”
“You can decide to go and bring in a vehicle of any age for your personal use by the provision of import prohibition list III, you are free to bring it in, as much you have not brought it for commercial purposes to sell. However, it is when you now bring in vehicles between 10 to 20 that you contravene schedule III of the CET”
He stressed that this window is what allows for occasional one or two overaged vehicles cleared at the ports, indicating that NCS assumes such importers are bringing the vehicles for personal use and not for trade.
