Nigeria customs kick as Lagos State slams fresh tariff on imported tokunbo, new vehicles

Lagos State, via Motor Vehicle Administration Agency (MVAA), has slammed a new charge of N4,600 on all imported vehicles coming from Lagos ports.

The tariff is known as Temporary Vehicle Tag (TVT). About 240,000 used and new vehicles are shipped to Nigeria annually via Lagos ports.

The new tariff differs from Wharf Landing Fee collected on all cargoes, including vehicles, by the state government.

According to The New Telegraph, the Nigerian Ports Authority linked the TVT payment to Terminal Delivery Order and asked terminal operators not to release any vehicle without evidence of payment.

Reports say that after payment of the new tariff, clearing agents would be issued a sticker to be placed on the vehicle, which permits it to drive around Lagos with a validity of one month.

The Temporary Vehicle Tag is in Lagos State Wharf Landing Collecting Authority in Apapa in Lagos.

Gboyega Adebayo, Chairman of the Lagos State Wharf Landing Collection Agency, said that the TVT differs from Wharf Landing fees, stating that it is strictly for security reasons, especially against the importation of arms and ammunition and people using imported vehicles as cover to import illicit arms.

Adebayo said: He said the landing fees are based on goods imported into Nigeria via the Wharf, stating that they are security issues.

“Vehicles are imported into this country without any number to identify them; when they leave the port premises, they could be used for criminal activities, or they could even have an accident killing people; how do you identify the vehicles that did it?” He said.

Analysts have slammed the new tariff by the state government, stating that it will heavily impact the cost of vehicles in the country as Nigerians would be burdened with the cost of the new charge.

The new tariff, alongside the ones imposed by Nigeria customs, will drive the cost of imported vehicles through the roof, putting them out of the reach of average Nigerians.