ANLCA President Backs Tariff Cuts on Vehicles, Knocks FG Over Inadequate CNG, Electric Vehicles Charging Centres
Emenike Nwokeoji
By DAPO OLAWUNI
The President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Emenike Nwokeoji, has commended the Federal Government’s downward review of import tariffs on vehicles under the new fiscal policy, but faulted the accompanying green tax regime, insisting that government must first establish charging and conversion infrastructure nationwide before pushing Nigerians toward Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Electric Vehicles (EVs).
Nwokeoji, who spoke as the Nigeria Customs Service begins implementation of the new fiscal policy, described the tariff adjustment as long overdue given the state of public transportation in the country.
Speaking with DAILY TREND on Monday, Emenike said “It is a welcomed development, in a country like ours, where the public transportation is poor, it is long overdue that we should adjust tariff on vehicles. In the new fiscal policy released by the federal government, some of the vehicles have been moved from 70% to 40%, it is a welcomed development,” he said.
However, he raised concerns over the practicality of the government’s green tax policy, noting the near-total absence of CNG stations and EV charging points across major routes in the country.
“What I have against the green tax is that, if you drive from Lagos to Port Harcourt, you would hardly see a CNG centre, if you go round Lagos, the little I have gone round, you cannot see any charging point for electric vehicles, but if you go overseas, at every supermarket or public places, if you need to charge your vehicle, you would plug it and before you know it, your vehicle is charged,” he said.
He warned against Nigeria’s habit of adopting foreign policies without first building the necessary infrastructure to support them.
“For us, it is always easy to import ideas from abroad and start implementing it without first establishing the foundation. The government is encouraging people to import CNG and Electric Vehicles into Nigeria now, but if I import one today, I cannot drive it from Lagos to Port Harcourt, where would I charge it when it runs out of power?” he asked.
Nwokeoji also criticised the bureaucratic approval process required to benefit from incentives on CNG and EV imports, describing the requirement for importers to seek written approval from the Federal Government before clearing such vehicles from the port as unnecessary and impractical.
“The irony of it is that, for you to import it, you must do a letter to the Federal government, they would give you approval before you can clear it from the port and benefit from the incentive, this is not normal, how many Nigerians would go to Abuja to start writing such letters for approval. What they needed to do is to put it into the system and allow Customs and other relevant agencies to determine what is imported,” he said.
He further noted that the cost of any tax imposed on importers ultimately falls on the end user, and called on government to prioritise the establishment of CNG conversion and EV charging centres along major highways.
“The most important thing is that, whatever tax the government is collecting from importers, it is the end users that are paying it. The government should look into opening centres where CNG conversions and charging points are spread along major roads, this supposed to be the starting point. The ones available are very few and expensive,” he said.
Nwokeoji also called on the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to intensify public sensitisation on CNG conversion, citing widespread misinformation on social media linking converted vehicles to explosions.
“The National Orientation Agency should also educate Nigerians on the CNG conversion, because the negative side is being projected on social media where vehicles are exploding after conversion, somebody needs to assure them,” he said.
