Despite Shippers Council’s Appeal, Clearing Agents Vow to Continue Protest Today

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Freight Forwarders in a carnival-like protest in front of PTML Terminal on Monday

Even though the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council on Friday intervened in the ongoing protest at the port against the introduction of Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Valuation by the Nigeria Customs Service, the agents have determined to continue with the strike action.

Taskforce chairman of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) at Tin Can Port, Alhaji Rilwan Amuni stated Monday morning in a message to members that, since the demands of the agents have not been met, there is no point calling off the protest.

The agents are calling for the suspension of the VIN Valuation owing to the fact that it does not recognise rebate and provision of article 30 of the customs legal notice.

The VIN Valuation is also reported to have hiked duty payment on imported vehicles by more than 300percent since its introduction, while at the same time, it fails to distinguish between old and new vehicles.

According to the message sent by the ANLCA Taskforce chairman, he said “Please all Agents should ignore the Media lies that the strike has been suspended.

“We cannot suspend when demands are not met,we are ready for any consequences since our means of L
livelihood is at stake” he said

Ss at time of filing this report, DAILY TREND NEWS gathered that the agents are already mobilising to resume the protest.

The Executive Secretary Nigerian Shippers Council, Hon Emmanuel Jime had on Friday called on the clearing agents and freight forwarding groups to call off the strike to enable the Council to champion further negotiations on the issue with the management of the Nigeria Customs Service.

He appealed to the leaders of the associations to suspend the protest and give room for dialogue adding that the council will engage management of the Nigeria Customs Service from Monday.

In a letter written by a coalition of all freight forwarding associations operating at Tin Can Island Port to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col Hameed Ali through the Customs Area Controller, Tin Can Port, Compt Adekunle Oloyede, they demanded for a 90-days extention of the VIN Valuation in order to take care of all the grey areas.

The letter sighted by DAILY TREND NEWS was issued 23rd February 2022 titled “VIN-VALUATION AUTOMATION AND ITS IMPACT ON THE CLEARANCE PROCUDURE”

Stating their position, the group said “Since the system uses Customs Agreed Value [CAV], to appropriate duty payable which is Customs declarantion upon us, we ‘recommend the use of the original cost, insurance and freight of the vehicle and input same correctly for duty Value”

“We strongly weicome the introduction of the VIN-Valuation but the timing was too Sudden and it lacks adequate publicity and sensitization at ‘the various Customs command as always done by the Customs public reiations units.

“Provision shouid be made for 10% depreciation on calculated vehicies imported into the country because the law accepts the‘ deducted values of ware and tears

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