BUSINESS
Clearing Agents Allow General Cargo, Continue Strike over ‘Fraudulent’ VIN Regime
From Anthony Nwachukwu, Lagos
Clearing agents have vowed to continue their protest against what they called the “fraudulent and mischievous” Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) valuation policy recently introduced by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), unless the methodology is modified to reflect transaction realities.
However, following the intervention of the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Mr. Emmanuel Jime, the associations have resumed clearing activities on general cargo at the affected ports, Tin Can and PTML.Jime, who hosted representatives of the associations, including the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), had pleaded for resumption of work to allow dialogue.
He commended the clearing agents for their patriotism, since their protest was not against the VIN policy but its implementation. He further assured to escalate the matter to the Ministry of Transportation and management of the NCS for understanding and amicable resolution by all relevant parties.
To help the NSC fast track a resolution, Jime also constituted a committee comprising some clearing agents and members of the NSC, with mandate to list the unions’ grouses against the VIN policy and their demands. Meanwhile, the associations, which also insisted on their preference for automated system, had told the NSC management that the NCS’ outrageous duty on imported used vehicles based on the recently introduced VIN valuation policy rather than transaction value was unacceptable and mischievous.
ANLCA National Secretary, Abdullazeez Babatunde, while presenting the unions’ position, expressed concern that contrary to the globally accepted and rational practice, the policy deliberately ignores the wear and tear and depreciation value of the vehicles in generating duties.
“Customs has refused to openly address the issue associated with the new policy after admitting to the fact that there is error associated with the policy,” he said. For instance, he explained that a 2012 car model with a market value of less than N4 million is now rated about N12 million. Therefore, they demanded a temporary return to manual valuation till the issues resolved. Similarly, the NAGAFF Deputy National President, Dr. Segun Musa, expressed dismay that rather than encourage trade facilitation, “vehicle smuggling will increase and government will have to channel its limited resources to combating smuggling. “If this isn’t nipped in the bud, there is also the tendency for customs to come up with similar approaches for other goods. This will push importers away; companies will shut down and jobs would be lost, while government uses the limited resources to buy guns to fight smugglers.”
Babatunde disclosed that the NCS leadership had a week earlier assured the agents that it would suspend the VIN valuation system but reneged on that. According to him, “we met the customs and conveyed these concerns. We also appealed to the comptroller-general of customs in subsequent letters. “It is important to note that 70-90 per cent of vehicles are imported through Tin Can and PTML. Customs agreed that the VIN valuation design neglected the extant laws on wear and tear as well as the 10 per cent depression in value of used cars. “Less than 10 per cent of the vehicles at the ports were able to access customs portal for the duties. There are several issues that we observed and we asked them to revert to manual process while these issues are resolved. We aren’t against automation because it is what we have always wanted, but the process must be transparent and realistic.”
BUSINESS
NNPC Posts N7.2trn Profit amid Revenue Decline
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPC Ltd.) recorded N7.2 trillion Profit After Tax (PAT) in 2025, a 33 per cent increase from N5.4 trillion.
Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at a media briefing after the company’s AGM and second Earnings Call.
Revenue declined to N34.
5 trillion from N45.1 trillion in 2024.Ojulari attributed the 24 per cent revenue decline to lower crude oil prices and reduced product volumes following market deregulation.
He said earnings per share rose to N35.
90 from N27.07, while return on equity improved by 200 basis points to 16 per cent.The company’s declared dividend increased by 35 per cent to N5.8 trillion, while taxes, royalties and other government remittances rose 39 per cent to N22.3 trillion.
“Stronger earnings in spite of this pressure demonstrate the resilience of NNPC Limited’s operations,” Ojulari said.
He said profit grew because NNPC had improved its operations and maintained discipline across its businesses.
Ojulari said crude oil and condensate production reached a five-year peak of 1.77 million barrels per day.
He added that gas supply reached a three-year high of 7.2 billion standard cubic feet per day.
“Stronger performance gives NNPC Limited more capacity to invest, contribute to public revenue and strengthen Nigeria’s energy security,” he said.
On infrastructure, Ojulari said the mainline of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline had been completed.
He said work was ongoing on tie-ins to delivery points, beginning with Abuja, followed by Ajaokuta and Kaduna.
According to him, the next milestone is to commence gas flow through the pipeline to industries and power plants.
Ojulari said the company completed the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) gas pipeline in 2026 after several years of challenges.
On the refineries, he said prospective partners under NNPC’s technical equity partnership model had conducted a three-month onsite review.
He said more than 34 engineers participated in the review, adding that NNPC was now concluding the report.
Ojulari said the company was targeting self-sustaining and profitable refineries, with a pathway expected to be defined soon.
He reaffirmed NNPC’s target of producing two million barrels of crude oil daily by 2027 and three million barrels by 2030.
He said gas production targets were 10 billion cubic feet per day by 2027 and 12 billion by 2030.
“NNPC plans to mobilise over 60 billion dollars of investment across the energy value chain,” he added.
Ojulari said more than 1,000 newly recruited professionals joined NNPC in 2025 under its Talent to Value programme.
He said the recruits completed a one-year internship and training programme before being deployed across the company. (NAN)
BUSINESS
FCCPC Calls for Improved Capacity Building on Competition Reporting, Matters
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) says there is a need for sustained capacity building in competition reporting and issues.
The Executive Vice Chairman of FCCPC, Tunji Bello, said this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.
Bello described competition matters as a relatively new area in the country adding that it required specialised knowledge among journalists, regulators and other stakeholders.
He said that competition law and consumer protection regulations had made stakeholders’ education a priority for the commission.
Bello said that the FCCPC recently supported the training of judges through the National Judicial Institute (NJI) to deepen understanding of competition-related matters.
He noted that members of the judiciary also required exposure to the nuances of the emerging field.
“We recognised that because it is a new terrain, the judges themselves are not familiar with the nuances.
”So we brought in experts on competition,” he said.
Bello stressed that the media had a critical role in promoting public understanding of competition and consumer protection issues.
“If FCCPC is becoming more known to the public, it is as a result of the kind of publicity you have given us,” he said. (NAN)
BUSINESS
Fire Guts Customs Western Marine Command Office in Lagos
Fire gutted the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Western Marine Command office in Apapa, Lagos, on Monday, destroying property worth millions of Naira.
The fire, which reportedly started at about 10:23 a.m. from an electrical surge in the conference room, spread to other sections of the building.
Officers on duty made frantic efforts to contain the fire before officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service arrived at about 10:45 a.
m.The Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Timothy Jonah, who just resumed at the Command, to take over the affairs from his predecessor, described the incident as unfortunate.
He said: “I just resumed duty to take over, only to witness this fire outbreak.
“Every challenge, though negative, is an opportunity to strengthen our operations.
“In the meantime, we will set up a committee to investigate the cause of the fire.”
He commended the swift response of the personnel on duty and their collaboration with the fire service, saying measures would be taken to strengthen safety protocols and prevent a recurrence. (NAN)


