Starting
from June, buyers of cars smuggled into Nigeria from neighbouring
countries or abroad will not be able to register or license them for
use, the National Automotive Council (NAC) has said.
The new directive, which was revealed in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by the Director of Policy and Planning, Mr Luqman Mamudu, is part of the new National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP) efforts at curbing vehicle smuggling in the country.
"Smuggled
vehicles will sooner or later become unattractive because those who buy
them will certainly no longer be able to obtain registration numbers
from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
"They
will not also be able to obtain vehicle licence from various state
vehicle registration offices. The policy has an in-built program to
pursue this course," the statement said.
NAC’s
Executive Officer of Information, Mr Bello Rasheed, told the News
Agency of Nigeria that the council was collaborating with the Nigeria
Customs Service and other agencies.
"The
policy requires the Nigeria Customs Service to build a data base of all
vehicles that are legally imported into the country. The FRSC, vehicle
inspection officers and state vehicle license offices will be given
access to the customs data base.
"So,
if any vehicle is brought for licensing or number plate registration,
the relevant agency will first check the list of legally imported
vehicles in the customs data base. Any vehicle not listed there is
deemed smuggled and will not only be denied registration, but will also
be impounded and the owner arrested," Rasheed said.
However,
the Freight Forwarders Association of Nigeria (FFAN) fear the new
policy would cause a 150 per cent hike on used vehicles, deny freight
forwarders their main source of income and also cause massive lay-offs
of its workers.
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