15% levy: Customs agents shelve planned strike
The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has shelved the planned strike over the 15 per cent National Automotive Council (NAC) levy due to the upcoming long holidays.
Alhaji Rilwan Amuni, Taskforce Chairman of ANLCA, said this in a circular obtained by journalists.
The levy was recently introduced by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on used imported vehicles, a decision which didn’t go down well with clearing agents in the country’s maritime sector.
The agents argued that the NAC levy is mostly meant for new vehicles, questioning the rationale behind the introduction of the duty on used vehicles.
ANLCA had on Friday announced plans to embark on a one-day warning strike.
The circular said that the ‘warning strike’ had been put on hold due to upcoming long holidays to mark Workers’ Day and Sallah celebrations.
“Most of our colleagues are of the opinion that since we have only this week before then, that we should allow members to take deliveries of pending jobs and also prepare well for a blissful holiday.
“On our part, we see no big deal about this because the Nigeria Labour Congress too do shelve strikes but some unscrupulous elements want to politicise it.
“However, we are unmindful of some communique from some ‘imposters’ whose tenure as ANLCA leaders for four years had expired since April 16, claiming to now want to live up to the responsibility they never did since then.
“If they had woken up from their slumber before their expiration we wouldn’t have been where we are today,” it said.
The circular, however, pointed out that the youths were not with them.
It said that, “if they are not faceless leaders why are they only appearing on social media adding that the youth are challenging them to come out and address them.
“President Zelensky of Ukraine is at the ‘forefront’ of the war with his country people 24/7 fighting together with them and accessible to his subjects.
“Please you people should come around and mobilise us together and address us on your good stewardship for four years then the youths will know they have you as leaders.
“We are begging our genuine solidarity train not to be distracted by these leaders because politics might bring people together but everybody knows his or her leader,” he said.
The circular warned these leaders not to bring politics into the issue of NAC and Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) benchmarks.
