…Allege breach of National Single Window, predict higher car prices, port strain
By Steve Agbota
A storm is gathering over the federal government’s new automotive policy tagged the National Automotive Design and Development Council Vehicle Conformity Assessment Programme (VehCAP), which aims to ban imported vehicles from entering Nigeria without prior certification from Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
As a fallout of this, importers and clearing agents, while calling for the immediate reversal, have threatened legal action if the government remains defiant.
They alleged that the policy undermines the National Single Window initiative designed to streamline trade processes at Nigerian ports.
Other stakeholders say the move could disrupt operations, worsen port congestion and drive up the cost of imported vehicles for consumers.
They argue that the policy introduces fresh bottlenecks rather than easing existing ones and warn that the ripple effects may be felt across the logistics chain.
Industry players are now mobilising to challenge the policy, insisting it could trigger avoidable strain on port operations and the wider economy.
The federal government, had on Tuesday, unveiled a new regulatory regime that will ban imported vehicles from entering Nigeria without certification.
The government said that the new policy is aimed at improving road safety and curbing the influx of substandard automobiles.
It introduces a strict “no certification, no entry” rule for all new and used vehicles entering the country.
The VehCAP programme builds on the existing SON Conformity Assessment Programme but introduces a sector-specific framework tailored to the complexities of the automotive industry.
However, the policy’s implementation has triggered strong backlash among stakeholders, particularly importers and clearing agents, who have vowed to resist its enforcement.
Speaking with Daily Sun, the National President of the Association of Motor Dealers of Nigeria (AMDON), Ajibola Adedoyin totally faulted the implementation of the new automotive policy, insisting that stakeholders were neither consulted nor properly informed before its rollout.
“Nobody was informed. It was just a solo policy,” he said and warned that while the intention to safeguard Nigerians from unsafe vehicles may be valid, the execution would trigger significant disruption across the sector.
According to him, the approach lacks proper planning and engagement, raising concerns over port congestion, demurrage, and rising costs. “The way they want to implement it is going to cause a lot of issues,” he added.
Adedoyin cautioned that the policy could disrupt operations at the ports and affect vehicles already awaiting clearance. “Certainly the policy will cause demurrage. We never expected it. There is no sensitisation, there is nothing.”
He also questioned the readiness of key agencies and operators, arguing that even licensed Customs agents were not adequately briefed.
“I don’t see it working now. None of the stakeholders were carried along. They just want to cause some kind of issues again in the ports.”
While clarifying that AMDON is not opposed to regulation, he stressed that the issue lies strictly with the implementation. “AMDON is not against the policy itself. But it’s the implementation that we’re against.”
He urged the government to reconsider the rollout, warning that the current approach could destabilise the business environment.
“This overnight implementation will not augur well. I think the government should tell SON to postpone the implementation”.
In his remarks, an importer, Felixstowe Kingsley, warned that the policy will destroy the automobile market and chase people out of business.
“Sometimes, I wonder who are these economic policymakers that are churning out policies without thinking of the consequences on the economy. “We already have a lot of policies that are affecting importation of cars negatively and we are even advising the government to review these policies, now see the one they just introduced.
“What I know is that this new policy will not fly because we will challenge it. The funny thing is that they just performed what I called “abracadabra” because they didn’t inform us and there is no form of sensitisation of stakeholders. We will not allow the policy to remain.
“If this policy should stand, the prices of cars will go up because the certification they are talking about will come with additional charges.
“That will be a burden on us the importers and which we will push back to the buyers. The government should think about the implications because there will be chaos in the port and the terminals will be congested because of demurrage,” he said.
Conversely, former acting President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Dr. Kayode Farinto said: “I want to believe some people are flying cards. This negates the policy of President Bola Tinubu’s government. Number one, the issue of trade facilitation and the amelioration of the pains in the society. It is not government policy. It is the making of a SON and we are going to fight it to a standstill.”
According to him, there is no law that empowers SON to regulate used vehicles because they don’t have what it takes to do that.
“What criteria do they want to use? I have been telling people that if you are making a new vehicle, you need a SONCAP and it has been regulated by SON.
“For used vehicles, it is not possible. It is gibberish. I want to say emphatically that the DG of SON has goofed. The policy will never fly. It can never fly. We will resist it, we will challenge it in court.
“They do not have such power. They only want to kill the economy of their country. So, I am saying it is a no. It is dead on arrival. It can never be implemented because they do not have such power. Where is that one done? Talking about vehicles forfeited, allow the road safety to do their work when the vehicle is registered. Not for you to regulate.
“Okay, what are the things you want to regulate? Where is your equipment? What they want to do eventually is to now start slamming another levy on used vehicles in the name of issuing one illegitimate certificate that they cannot even protect or defend.
“So, it is a no. It is dead on arrival and I want to say that the DG of SON goofed and it should not be testing the patience of Nigerians, particularly the stakeholders in the maritime industry.
“I am saying emphatically that it will never be done. Put my name down and say it is dead on arrival. It can never see the sun” he said.
Also speaking on the issue, a Customs broker and Managing Director of Mikky Excellency Nigeria Limited, Alhaji Abdulazeez Babatunde Mukaila, said the policy was shrouded in secrecy for clearing agents associations not to go to the National Assembly to nip it.
According to him, this matter remains an outrageous and fraudulent policy that cannot stand the test of time.
“How do you certify
already-in-use products that depreciate? The real fact is that SON is on a revenue drive and Nigeria shippers, the scapegoat. “This cannot stand. It’s impossible and non implementable. This will be resisted certainly because the clearing agents didn’t hear about it,” he said.
He added that the issue will create problems in the port and ultimately negate the National Single Window plan.
“These are just the issues in this country. While the National Single Window team was meeting with SON, I was privileged to be on that online platform with National Single Window and SON.
“This particular aspect was never admitted or discussed. How do you start causing problems? How do you certify accidented cars, which the law allows anybody to bring to this country?” he queried.
He maintained that the policy is neither practicable nor sustainable, describing it as fundamentally flawed and insisting that it will be strongly resisted at the ports.
He further warned that the policy could trigger a crisis, urging government intervention, and argued that it is not feasible in its current form and should not be allowed to stand.
On the government’s side, Minister of State for Industry, Sen. John Enoh, defended the policy, describing it as a necessary step to enforce safety standards and align Nigeria with global automotive best practices.
He said the initiative introduces mandatory VehCAP certification for all vehicles before import clearance, registration, or licensing, with strict sanctions for non-compliance.
“No vehicle or automotive product shall be imported, cleared, registered or licensed without valid certification,” Enoh stated, adding that violations would attract “refusal of clearance, seizure, or sanctions.”
He emphasised the need for inter-agency cooperation, noting that enforcement would depend on collaboration between Customs, the Central Bank, FRSC, and other relevant bodies. “If we want porous borders, they will be porous; if not, cooperation is essential,” he said.
Enoh also acknowledged concerns about affordability and access, especially regarding used vehicles, calling for a balanced approach that reflects Nigeria’s economic realities.
The Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Dr Ifeanyi Okeke, said the policy marks a shift toward a preventive system that ensures only compliant vehicles enter the country, stressing its importance for road safety, consumer protection, and public confidence.
He explained that the VehCAP framework, developed with the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), would strengthen regulatory coordination and align Nigeria with global standards while improving transparency in the automotive value chain.
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