VIN: Customs, agents meeting ends in deadlock

A stakeholders meeting called yesterday by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) failed to persuade the striking clearing agents  to  call off the ongoing strike, despite the special appeal made to them by the top Customs officials.

The agents claimed that the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Valuation system introduced by the Customs for imported vehicles is fraudulent because they were not briefed before the policy was introduced.

The clearing agents and motor vehicle importers said that was the first meeting between them and officers of the service before and after the VIN policy was slammed on them.

The meeting, which held yesterday, at the Customs office in Ikeja, Lagos ended in a deadlock despite the efforts of the service to explain the position of the Federal Government to them and with a promise to get back to the agents this Friday.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, the Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, Zone A, Modupe Aremu, said the agents were trained by the service ahead of the implementation of VIN valuation. And that was why “we were not expecting this kind of response from them when we began the VIN implementation”.

The leadership of the service, she said, would address the complaints of the agents and arrive.

“We are going to modify their complaints going forward. The modification will take care of the complaints of the clearing agents as regards VIN,” she said.

When asked if she was satisfied with the meeting with the clearing agents, the Customs ACG explained that it was like a family meeting and will be encouraged going forward.

“We talked and rubbed minds on a solution to this ongoing strike at the ports. The agents were actually trained ahead of the implementation of the VIN valuation. That was why we were not expecting this kind of response from them when we began the VIN implementation.

“Due to all the complaints that the agents gave, we are going back to the drawing board to modify the issues that they raised. Hopefully, very soon we will get back to them on the outcome of the modification. VIN has come to stay, it cannot be suspended,” she added.

Also, the Deputy President, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr Segun Musa, insisted that until Customs got back to the agents, the strike would continue.

He said: “The Customs has given us a time frame of Friday to get back to us. So, we will wait till Friday to hear from them. Until then, the strike continues.

“They (Customs) said tomorrow is their management meeting and that they will get us feedback on what they decide by Friday. So, till then we continue the strike.

“If after Friday, their feedback does not meet our expectations, then we will continue the strike even after Friday.”

Another agent, Prince Taiye Oyeniyi, said the issue of VIN valuation is a simple matter, saying that clearing agents have been on the issue of VIN valuation for over two to five years.

“Let me quickly correct one impression, all freight forwarders in this country are not against VIN valuation. What we are trying to say is that the normal thing for valuation should be done.

“What are we saying? For instance, what is VIN valuation? This is to make sure that your chassis numbers of the vehicle are captured to tell the government through the Customs how much to pay.

“But our argument remains that a 15-year-old vehicle, for instance, has a N2-million worth of value, cost, insurance and freight. Under the normal settings internationally, there is depreciation of vehicles on a yearly basis.

“What you sell is not what I sell. For instance, you cannot use the Customs value for vehicles or any consignments coming into the country.

“We are pleading with them (Customs) to go back to the management. Let them give us the period of 90 days to clear the backlog, of trapped vehicles,” Oyeniyi said.