By Godwin Oritse

lDeny selling smuggled cars

lFault Customs’ focus on southern Nigeria

LAGOS—MAJOR car dealers, including Elizade Motors, Stallion, Coscharis and Globe Motors, whose auto shops were shut down by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, in search of cars smuggled via the land borders, yesterday, condemned what they described as harassment and an attempt by the NCS to label them as car smugglers.

The dealers, who spoke to Vanguard in Lagos, were unanimous in their condemnation of the clampdown by the NCS.
The dealers wondered why the NCS only focused on the southern part of Nigeria when smugglers, who don’t contribute anything to the economy, are having a field day in the northern part of the country.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, an official from Coscharis Group said the company was at loss as to what was going on.
The official said: “The action of the Customs will run counterproductive to the Federal Government’s foreign investment drive.
The official said: “We don’t understand what is happening yet, but we cooperate with all agencies of government and if the NCS needs any information about our business, they ought to ask instead of sealing our showrooms, and thereafter invites us to a meeting. They should understand the implications of shutting down our facilities because an unnamed dealership allegedly smuggled in vehicles.”

An auto dealer based in Ikeja, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Customs should be aware Nigeria is not under a military regime where businesses are shut down without notice.

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The auto dealer said: “We are not smugglers, we bring in our cars through the ports and pay a huge amount of money. To clear the average car now like Toyota Corrola, it is over N3 million. To clear a Toyota Prado, it is over N9 million, a Land Cruiser is over N15 million, a Lexus is N18 million while the G-Wagon is cleared at N21 million. In my auto garage, I have 70 cars and I pay an average of N10 million per car, that is N700 million. We add value to the economy. We need to be treated with respect in this economy.”
He added: “Even as I talk to you right now, the NCS is yet to explain why shops are sealed. I can tell you that none of us know what the problem is. They just came and locked all the shops up and walked away. What they normally do when they come is to count the number of vehicles and check our documents, which they do regularly.

On his part, one of the major dealers on the Mainland alleged that the harassment by the NCS has continued for about five years, “Whereas nothing of sort happens to dealers in the North.”
The auto dealer alleged that: “All the car dealers in the north never get harassed or checked. For your information, cars in the North come through the Niger Republic without paying duty. Agencies of government should do their work but not one-sided or at the detriment of the economy.”