A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), the National Civil Society Council of Nigeria (NCSCN), Sunday, lauded the Federal Government and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) over the initiation of a 90-day window for the regularisation of import duties on specific categories of vehicles.
The gesture, which takes effect from 4th March to 5th July 2024, according to the NCS, is a step to ease economic hardship and encourage compliance, by approving the suspension of the 25% penalty previously imposed in addition to import duty on improperly imported vehicles.
The Executive Director of NCSCN, Comrade Blessing Akinlosotu, in a statement he issued in Abuja, called on the stakeholders, including vehicle owners, importers, and agents to seize the opportunity to regularise their import duty payments within the designated 90-day timeframe.
He said: “This is another highly commendable gesture by the Government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, through the Federal Ministry of Finance, and the Nigeria Customs Service to cushion the hardship on Nigerians as a result of the global economic downturn.
“The Nigeria Customs Service under the new Comptroller General, Mr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi has given an unprecedented human face to the Service, which the Civil Society Council deeply appreciates as the conscience of the citizenry and voice of the masses.
“This waiver and removal of penalty charges will go a very long way in boosting individual and organisational business economies while having a positive ripple-out effect on families. With more such strategic interventions coming from the Minister of Finance and the NCS, our Council believes the present nationwide hardship will be remarkably ameliorated in no distant time.
“The Civil Society Council hereby especially thanks President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, appreciates the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, and commends the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi for this development, while we call on the citizenry to exercise more patience, resting assured that the current economic hardship shall drastically reduce, considering the numerous interventions being rolled out by the Federal Government, especially by the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Nigeria Customs Service”.
