Suspend ban on vehicle imports through land borders, Reps tell FG

ABUJA—The House of Representatives, yesterday, asked the Federal Government to suspend the ban on importation of vehicles through land borders in Nigeria.Consequently, the lawmakers, at plenary, mandated the Committees on Governmental Affairs and Customs and Excise to ensure implementation and report back to the House within six weeks for further legislative input.This development was basedon a motion, entitled ‘’Need to suspend The Ban On Importation of Vehicles Through Land Borders, promoted by Abdulahi Salame, APC, Sokoto.Meantime, stakeholders in the maritime industry were divided on the issue, yesterday. While some supported the ban, others kicked against it.Salame, in his presentation, argued that those making these policies have failed to patronise made-in-Nigeria goods, especially Nigerian assembled vehicles, which are, in any case unaffordable for 80 percent of Nigerians.He said:  “The percentage of Nigerians who can afford cars has declined drastically,following the decline in the value of the Naira, rising inflation, unemployment and high cost of living that have bedeviled Nigeria where over 80 per cent of Nigerians live below $2 a day.“The Federal Government has powers under Section 18of the Customs and Excise Management Act to restrict the movement of goods into and out of Nigeria by land or inland waters and to appoint customs stations.‘’However, similar exercise ofsuch powers on rice importation through the land borders in April 2016, has occasioned untold hardship on Nigerians, as a bag of ricenow sells for between N20,000 and N23,000, against N8,000 a few monthsago.