Comptroller-General of Customs, retired Colonel Hammed Ali, has directed operatives of Compliance Team and Federal Operations Unit to compliment officers at the borders to effectively beef up security and enforce the policy on non importation of vehicles through the land border.

Ali said apart from being a statutory function of customs to implement government fiscal policies, as Nigerians, the advantages and opportunities inherent in the policy was a motivation to ensure compliance.

Regrettably, despite Nigeria’s bigger and more equipped port facilities, statistics have shown that more than 90 per cent of vehicles imported to neighbouring countries are normally on transit to Nigeria market.

Though duty rates chargeable for motor vehicles at both land borders and seaports remain the same.

Importers of these vehicles exploit the informality of land border trade since they are not usually manifested for Nigeria ports to either smuggle through the porous border or compromise some customs officers and that of other agencies to short change the nation.

Ali charged the anti-smuggling squads to ensure total blockage such that no desperate vehicle importer gets his or her access to smuggle in the trapped vehicles, listing the merits of the policy to include channelisation of motor vehicles to sea ports, adding that it would enable suppression of smuggling.

He said the policy would create business and job opportunities with the eventual emergence of bonded car parks for vehicles around the country, saying the policy would lead to the emergence of bank branches and mechanic villages around the bonded car parks, with job opportunities for Nigerians.

Ali said high volume of vehicle cargo for shippers would boost capacity and optimise use of facilities at the ports and car parks, saying the policy would bring higher revenue for the three tiers of government to discharge their responsibilities to Nigerians.

The Comptroller-General of Customs said it would facilitate the recent collaboration among customs, FIRS, motor licence office, police and bureau of statistics, saying it would give assurance of duty payment for vehicle buyers, thereby giving them more confidence on the road without customs interception.