VIN Valuation: Port Protest May Continue till Monday, As Customs Summon All Valuation Officers to Abuja

By DAPO OLAWUNI

Fresh indications have emerged that the ongoing strike action by freight forwarders against the Nigeria Customs Service’s introduction of the controversial Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Valuation System may continue till Monday.

This is even as DAILY TREND NEWS has gathered exclusively that the service through its Deputy Comptroller General Tariff and Trade, DCG Isa Talatu has summoned all valuation officers to the Customs headquarters in Abuja for a meeting.

The meeting is scheduled for Monday March 7th 2022 at 11.am .

In a circular dated 3rd of March 2022, sighted by our correspondent on Friday, titled “Notification of Urgent Crucial Meeting signed by AI Udenze, Controller Valuation, for DCG Talatu, the circular states:

“You are hereby invited to a very important meeting with the DCG T&T in order to address the lingering VIN Automation issues affecting our Revenue collection.

“The Meeting is scheduled to hold as follows: Date; Monday. 7th March 2022. -Venue: CGC’s Conference Hall, Time: 11.00 Hours

“Attendance is for all O/C Valuation only” it states

This is coming amidst freight forwarders expectations that the customs service would suspend the VIN platform on Friday.

Customs Cordinator Zone A’ Lagos, Assistant Comptroller General Modupe Aremu had at a stakeholders meeting on Tuesday assured that Customs would communicate its position on the freight forwarders concerns by Friday.

Earlier on Thursday, there was false hope given to the freight forwarders through speculations in the media that the service has already suspended the VIN Valuation platform.

However, spokesman of the Customs, Deputy Comptroller Timi Bomodi had dismissed the report, saying that the Customs is yet to make its position known.

The freight forwarders were contesting the newly introduced VIN Valuation platform because it has increased duty payment on imported vehicles by as much as 300percent.