The Chairman, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Seme Border Chapter, Eze Ekene Ajunwa has faulted the claims in some quarters that the Benin Republic was now booming at the expense of that of Nigeria following the new auto policy of the Federal government.
AJunwa who spoke in an interview with newsmen in Lagos observed that whereas Nigeria had a common boundary with Benin Republic which had existed for over a long time, Nigerians were at liberty to clear their goods either through Cotonou ports or through the land border as it may please them.
‘But from what I am seeing, I am not seeing anything in Cotonou booming like cars as you are saying, maybe cars that are supposed to be cleared in the seaports here are being cleared in Cotonou, no, I think things are still the way they are”, he said.
On the rising incidences of smuggling at the Seme border station, the NAGAFF boss said “there is nothing like smuggling for now, it has reduced. I won’t tell you that there is no smuggling; I think it has reduced unlike before because customs has made it very easy for them to know how they pay their duty. Once you pay your duty, we always advise our people to pay their duty. I don’t think there will be any agent that will want to smuggle his goods into this country”.
It will be recalled that there were insinuations in some quarters attributing the dwindling import of vehicles into the country since January this year to diversion of Nigerian bound vehicles to Cotonou and other neighbouring countries following the auto policy put in place by the Federal Government which imposed higher duty and levy on fairly used vehicle popularly known as Tokunbo imported into the country.
