Customs Service (NCS) unanimously agreed Thursday to reintroduce the country’s suspended Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), Valuation policy on Friday.
The clearing agents under the aegis of the Association of Nigeria Liscenced Customs Agents (ANLCA), National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), and National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), among others, agreed during a sensitisation programme on the re-launch of VIN Valuation by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Lagos that the platform which will facilitate quick clearance of vehicles from seaport
Clearing agents fought the VIN valuation policy, which was first implemented in January 2022 and raised the duties payable on fairly-used vehicles by more than 200 percent.
However, the Apapa Customs Controller, Comptroller Yusuf Malanta, who said the Service remained committed to the VIN valuation policy, assured that all areas of concern would be addressed as implementation began.
Malanta stressed the importance of automation in Customs processes, saying that with the implementation of VIN valuation, agents can process clearance of their vehicles from the comfort of their offices.
“Automation of the Customs process is very important, and vehicle valuation is not out of place,” he said. Agents can now process cargo clearance from the comfort of their own offices. The world is going digital, and Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind as people use digital technology to facilitate business. Please let us know if there is anything we need to change. We’ll make adjustments, but the VIN valuation will not be changed.”
https://www.tvcnews.tv/2022/05/majority-of-okada-riders-are-criminals-in-disguise-lagos-cp/Comptroller Malanta promised that the policy would be discussed with agents on a regular basis, and that a help desk would be set up to help with any problems that might arise during implementation.
The platform’s introduction, according to Dr Kayode Farinto, the ANLCA’s acting national president, will improve unified valuation for vehicle clearance in the country’s seaports.
He urged clearing agents to comply, claiming that greater compliance will lead to the service’s introduction of auto release.