The Senate has summoned the Comptroller General of Customs, Hamid Ali, to appear before it unfailingly on Wednesday, 15th of March, 2017 to answer questions on the new Customs policy on retrieval of delayed duties on all automobile in the country.

The resolution is sequel to a point order of moved by Senator Dino Melaye over media reports that the Customs boss has defied the Senate’s directive for it to stop the proposed duty on vehicles already imported into the country.

Senators described Ali’s policies in the Customs as misplaced and not in tune with current realities.

The legislators also say the absence of a substantive board for the Customs Service and Ali’s decision to always cut-off the Minister of Finance to report directly to Mr. President has led to dictatorial policies in the agency.

The Comptroller-General of the Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd.), last week approved a grace period of one month for owners of all vehicles in the country whose customs duty had not been paid to do so.

The grace period is between Monday, March 13 and Wednesday, April 12, 2017, the NCS said. However, the Senate on Monday asked the NCS to suspend the ultimatum. But rather than heed the resolution of the upper legislative chamber, the NCS on Wednesday approved an adjustment of payment points while granting a 60 per cent rebate across board on vehicles imported from 2015 downwards.

Customs’ acting Public Relations Officer, Mr. Joseph Attah, who spoke at a media briefing in Abuja, said the one month grace period to vehicle owners remained in place, adding that the rebate and adjustment of payment points were aimed at easing the process and encouraging all motor dealers in possession of uncustomised vehicles to come forward and pay their duties.

According to him, “While payment remains Monday 13th March to Wednesday 12th April, the points of payments with the exception of Lagos and Port Harcourt will now be at the nearest customs area command.”

Attah stated that “private vehicle owners who know that duty has not been paid on their vehicles could take advantage of this grace period to do so”. “Therefore, owners of such vehicles or their representatives are expected to go to the nearest pay point for assessment and payment. It should be noted that the 60 per cent rebate applies only within the grace period,” he added. But he clarified that 2016 and 2017 vehicles were excluded from the rebate because of their status as new cars, which he said were not smuggled.

Attah added that the policy has the endorsement of auto dealers, a position buttressed by the presence of the National President of Association of Motor Dealers of Nigeria (AMDON), Mr. Ajibola Adedoyin, at the briefing. Adedoyin at the briefing confirmed the association’s close collaboration with the Customs Service. The decision to grant a grace period for duty payment on vehicles, Attah said, was borne out of consultations between the NCS and AMDON, adding that the latter had pleaded for a grace period to be granted to enable them pay outstanding duties on all uncustomised vehicles in the country before the ban on vehicle importation through the land borders commenced. “We believe that when all vehicles are properly registered and owners’ identities tied to them, national security will be enhanced. The new statement that will come into play is in collaboration with the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and our planned operation of bonded vehicle terminals. “There will come a time in the very near future when owners of smuggled vehicles will not be able to register these vehicles in Nigeria. “These people pleaded that before this comes into effect, there is a need to create a window, a kind of period within which such vehicles within the country can be regularized. “As regards the 60 per cent rebate, the idea, as I said, is to create a soft landing for people who are in possession of these vehicles. The 60 per cent rebate on the value of such vehicles across board from 2015 downwards simply means 60 per cent of the total value, which means the calculation will always be based on 40 per cent. “Any private vehicle owner who wishes to take advantage of this period and pay duty will save himself a lot before the coming in to the system that will totally block him,” the NCS spokesman said.