ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
About 40 percent of the 400,000 vehicles imported into the country between 2015 and 2020 were smuggled, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, has said.
She said that 22 percent of these smuggled vehicles were stolen.
The Minister who said this on Thursday in her speech at a one-day sensitisation seminar on the National Vehicle Registry (VREG), held at Hazibal Hotel and Suites, Bauchi on Thursday noted that this has made Nigeria the hub of stolen vehicles which are usually not registered and can therefore not be traced.
Ahmed, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Public Private Partnership in the Ministry, Jummai Katagum, said that the data, confirmed by the National Bureau of Statistics, showed that between October, 2018 and September, 2019 the country recorded over N1.8 trillion value of used vehicle importation.
She said: “For the records, the National Bureau of Statistics confirmed that between 2015 and 2020, Nigeria imported an average of 400,000 vehicles with an average of 18% increase in import annually.
“While an additional 40% of vehicles are smuggled into the country annually, thus evading duty payment, 22% of these vehicles are stolen vehicles.
“A case study also revealed that between October, 2018 to September, 2019 the country recorded over N1.8 trillion value of used vehicle importation.
“It was further revealed that Nigeria is the hub of stolen vehicles as Vehicle Identification Number (VIM) of vehicles in the country were usually unregistered, consequently, vehicles within the shores of Nigeria cannot be traced.”
She said that in the midst of dwindling revenue caused by the falling oil prices, mono economy and further worsened by revenue leakages from unplugged loopholes such as customs duty payment evasion, it became imperative that Government be responsive to these issues.
She added that in line with the Strategic Revenue Growth Initiative, the Ministry conceived and launched the National Vehicle Registry (VREG) Automated Gateway Portal, as a means to leveraging technology infrastructure to maximize revenue generation for Nigeria as well as to enhance National Security such as curtailing kidnapping and utilization of vehicles in crime perpetration and terrorism.
The Minister stated that in a bid to address these challenges, the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning launched the VREG, a national repository of vehicular information that seeks to provide a singular platform through which all relevant Agencies shall reference vehicular data with a view of ascertaining ownership and value information, capturing vehicular exchanges and utilizing the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of all vehicles in Nigeria.
“The National Vehicle Registry (VREG) System will among others, serve as a single source of validation at the point of vehicle registration while capturing and storing all vehicular information over the life cycle of every vehicle for the purpose of effective motor vehicle administration, ensuring the enforceability of penalties placed on vehicles by regulators across board and ensuring accurate monitoring, documentation and tracking of vehicular activities across the nation to enhance National Security,” she said.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Aliyu Ahmed, said that the VREG portal would improve road, user safety, enhance vehicle road worthiness and improve traffic regulation enforcement.
He said that there have been calls from different quarters, on the need to engage technology in vehicle ownership data collection across the country with capabilities for push and pull model in the corridors of data gathering and information sharing.
“This is expected to create seamless information sharing among stakeholders in reducing car theft and solving other crimes which in turn, will promote road traffic security and safety, a general concern at any level of government,” Ahmed said.
In an address, Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, said that relevant agencies in the industry in the state have fully complied with the automation policy noting that the state has also gone far in automating vehicle registration.
The governor who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works and Transport, Engr. Stephen Abubakar, said: “As a matter of fact, Bauchi between January to July, 2021, we have registered 15,066 vehicles.”
He however said that the state has witnessed some few challenges in the course of complying with the automation policy pointing out that the key challenge is low awareness and sensitisation of the general public particularly vehicle owners.
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