POSTED ON DECEMBER 5, 2016 UPDATED ON DECEMBER 5, 2016



Importation of vehicles into Nigeria through the land Borders have been banned by the Federal Government. The prohibition order covers all new and used vehicles. A policy statement that is likely to put Nigeria and her neighbours in a very acrimonious state. The importers have been directed to tidy up their clearance till December 2016. After this period any vehicle imported through land border will be impounded and confiscated.




Industry watchers have said that this is the best policy that will see the leap frivging of local manufacturing firms like innosson leap frog. The Ban is sequel to a Presidential Directive restricting all vehicle imports to Nigeria Sea Ports only. The Nigerian government is trying to shore up India through import duties which the land borders are not remitting. This move is after the blanket ban in rice and other essentials . An online commentator, Mr Abagworo said “Wonderful! Let us watch Innoson grow like the rice farmers. If this sails through then I will declare that we are having a quiet revolution. Nigeria is indeed on the right path.”


This move by Buhari,the current president of Nigeria will put the country on a head on collision with other member states of ECOWAS. stakeholders have pointed out that this move contravenes the regional body agreement on trade liberalisation and treaty.



Known as ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS)
The ECOWAS trade agreement is in line with its objective of promoting cooperation and integration and as one step towards the creation of a common market which, according to the ECOWAS Revised Treaty, should be established, among others, through “the liberalisation of trade by the abolition, among Member States, of customs duties levied on imports and exports, and the abolition among Member States, of non-tariff barriers in order to establish a free trade area at the Community Level“1 ECOWAS adopted the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme. This was first implemented in 1979 with only agricultural products, handicrafts and crude products being allowed to benefit from the scheme. In 1990, however, it opened up to include industrial products.


However, some Nigerians are not in tune with this policy, it is reported that the ECOWAS member states will treat Nigeria as a pariah and will want to distance Nigeria from the scheme of things because of this singular move by this administration.Femi, a car dealer opined ” Importing from the sea is hectic with the madness in the Tin Can port and the RoRo,we have resorted to land borders where import duties in countries like Benin and Togo are friendly and faster.This will put Nigeria at a loss because people will always find a way to smuggle these cars into the country and it will be a loss if revenue to the government ” he said .


As the country is trying to diversify from oil to production,and the call to buy Nigerian product has necessitate the move by the federal government of Nigeria . It is estimated that this will save Nigeria billions of Naira and will resuscitate the ailing automobile industry. If this will cause a diplomatic row between Nigeria and ECOWAS country, time will tell. Most ECOWAS countries depend on Nigeria import and they are likely to boycott Nigeria products.



https://etimesafrica./2016/12/05/buhari-at-a-head-on-collision-with-ecowas-over-ban-on-car-importation/#more-3145

Forget ECOWAS, all this while that we have been looking for forex, was ECOWAS given us dollars?
Ban it jor, let Innoson take over.

#Operation buy innoson or trek or better still, relocate.

"Importing from the sea is hectic with the madness in the Tin Can port and the RoRo,we have resorted to land borders where import duties in countries like Benin and Togo are friendly and faster"

If the issue is the trade duties and speed and ease. Why not green light Akwa Ibom port to help with the issue. Akwa-Ibom already has biggest costline and the water is 18 meters without dredging.

Yes Nigeria should focus on industrilization. The ECOWAS market represents big market for us to be hegemony. The fact is we don't need to be adversarial. They already import lots of vehicles and parts. As soon as we get industry growing we can compete there at greater advance at price, cost and distance.

I can't fault nigeria government for looking for taxes but it shouldn't be breaking trade agreements every time it's in a bind.

https://www.nairaland.com/3496315/long-term-agriculture-not-way

Today's my byeday birthday Show me love

Useless govt

Buhari Toeing The Path Gej Toed.. Making Life Unbearable 4 The Masses In All Aspect.

change ti take over

We dey wait.

The federal government ought to fast track the devlopement of other ports. The only functioning port we have for cargo berthing is Lagos. Will the port be able to withstand the surge of importers. Banning is good but what is in for buisness men. Revive other sea port in the country. Lagos is congested. The better south have sea ports and it shouldn't be meant only as a loading platform and use by companies alone. This could help reduce restiveness in the region.

let them...

who can garantie us that the vehicles are still in shape...

we hear of cases were brakes fail..

we have no ministry to check the imported cars..

if you want a good car and no failures,you must pay more..

its in the ol world the same..

most of the cars normaly on the streets of nigeria are normaly scrapped in europe..

europeans dont allow them on their streets..they have ministries for checking the healths of cars...

We cannot continue to hurt our economy because we want other west African countries to be happy. Importation through our land borders constitutes a serious leakage to our revenue and it must stop. In addition, government must double up on the security of ur borders. Without effectively securing the borders against smugglers, this policy will not achieve the desired result.

Every decision has merits and demerits

This doesnt make sense because the cars are not being produced by the so called ecowas states. Rather they are just conduit pipes into nigerian markets.
Let me also say that no ecowas state can boycot nigeria. Ecowas is nigeria. Nigeria is ecowas.

blackpanda:

Let me also say that no ecowas state can boycot nigeria. Ecowas is nigeria. Nigeria is ecowas.

Hardly true Nigeria doesn't do that much business with ECOWAS that it should be doing. We only at 7% with them. I think other places like Ghana more popular among Ecowas as total share in trade but I have to look at stats again.

Correction nigeria highest share but Ghana and ivory coast are higher together. ECOWAS intra region trade is really low. Especially since we're supposed to be trade partners.

To me it is a gud policy, FG shud also work hard to open up more ports and improve on power. Our land boarders are Porous yielding low or Zero income. Also wit time car manufacturers might decide to compete wit Innoson by relocating to Nigeria. Before now I never knew we cud grow our own rice but wit d ban n CBN loans, we now have quality made in Nigeria rice.
And as for d ECOWAS policy, i believe Naija shud come first before honoring any ecowas issue.

Blue3k:


Hardly true Nigeria doesn't do that much business with ECOWAS that it should be doing. We only at 7% with them. I think other places like Ghana more popular among Ecowas as total share in trade but I have to look at stats again.

Correction nigeria highest share but Ghana and ivory coast are higher together. ECOWAS intra region trade is really low. Especially since we're supposed to be trade partners.

is it not a shame that despite the proximity we still do so little trade amongst ourselves. ?

I hope Nigerians would not come crying when Ghana and Ivory Coast start baning also.

The most sensible thing to do is to reform our ports so that Nigerians and even other West African country will prefer using Nigeria Port for importation. The people advising Buhari are either deliberately misleading him or they lack basic knowledge of international economy and diplomacy.

iamord:
is it not a shame that despite the proximity we still do so little trade amongst ourselves. ?

Yes very shameful. African nations are very strange compares to the rest. Intra regional trade lowest . Due to curruption, tariffs, and lack of road infastrure. Then it seems we trade same stuff but don't take avantage of comparative advantage. We'd rather trade with your eu rope and Asia then amongst our self.

Nigeria has a big opertuinity with ECOWAS in terms of providing energy (gas and Petroleum) and manufacturing good. We could be undisputed hegemon if we got our act together.

https://www.nairaland.com/3496315/long-term-agriculture-not-way