Starting from June, buyers of cars smuggled into Nigeria from neighbouring countries or abroad will not be able to register or license them for use, the National Automotive Council (NAC) has said.
The new directive, which was revealed in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by the Director of Policy and Planning, Mr Luqman Mamudu, is part of the new National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP) efforts at curbing vehicle smuggling in the country.
"Smuggled vehicles will sooner or later become unattractive because those who buy them will certainly no longer be able to obtain registration numbers from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
"They will not also be able to obtain vehicle licence from various state vehicle registration offices. The policy has an in-built program to pursue this course," the statement said.
NAC’s Executive Officer of Information, Mr Bello Rasheed, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the council was collaborating with the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies.
"The policy requires the Nigeria Customs Service to build a data base of all vehicles that are legally imported into the country. The FRSC, vehicle inspection officers and state vehicle license offices will be given access to the customs data base.
"So, if any vehicle is brought for licensing or number plate registration, the relevant agency will first check the list of legally imported vehicles in the customs data base. Any vehicle not listed there is deemed smuggled and will not only be denied registration, but will also be impounded and the owner arrested," Rasheed said.
However, the Freight Forwarders Association of Nigeria (FFAN) fear the new policy would cause a 150 per cent hike on used vehicles, deny freight forwarders their main source of income and also cause massive lay-offs of its workers.
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