Senate- Suspending tokunbo car importation on land may increase hardship

       

       The house of representatives has asked president Muhammadu Buhari to suspend the decision of banning the importation of vehicles via land border to the country. The lawmakers said that the policy is too harsh and would further worsen the economic situation of many Nigerians.


     The policy is expected to come into effect from January 1, 2017. Instead of enforcing a ban, the House called on the government to ensure that security agencies manned the land borders diligently to enforce the payment of import duties and ensure the remittance of same to the treasury.“The House further urges the government to install border security and surveillance equipment for effective monitoring to address the recurring menace of smuggling and ensure a maximum revenue generation on all lawfully-imported goods,” the resolution stated.
     A law maker from Sokoto State, Mr. Abdullahi Salame, informed members that the policy could only worsen the “hunger and insecurity” in the land, and cause job losses. Leading the debate on the motion, Salame said corruption at the borders would increase as Customs personnel would seize the opportunity to divert revenue into private pock
     Mr. Zakari Mohammed, suggested that the government could modify the policy to reflect that vehicles of certain ages should not be imported through the land borders. “The administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo had such a policy in place before. We can return to that policy or ensure its full implementation this time round, rather than a blanket ban,” Mohammed said.
Source- exlinklodge.com