FG’s aviation duty waiver in jeopardy as NAMA pays over N100m to clear Navaids

Despite the much talked about duty waivers granted the aviation industry by the federal government, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) had declined the request of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) on the duty waiver it requested for to clear the navigation aids at the Lagos seaport
The managing director of NAMA, Capt. Fola Akinkutu who disclosed this in Lagos stated that rather, it paid over a hundred million naira to clear the imported equipment worth about N1bn.
Akinkuotu said the equipment, which were at the seaport for about six months were eventually cleared and deployed in the last quarter of 2019.
He explained that NAMA as a government agency, had applied for customs duty waiver to clear the critical safety equipment, but the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), declined the request, despite the duty waivers.
According to Akinkuotu, the automation equipment were installed in Lagos, Jos and Ilorin airports, adding that the agency was gradually upgrading the facilities at the nation’s airports and stations.
Akinkuotu said: “The equipment were at the seaport for some few months because of issues of Customs duty, application for duty waiver and others, but we have cleared them and they have already been installed.
“We didn’t get waivers for the equipment and we paid about hundreds of millions of naira for the clearance. The waiver request was not approved. They are part of the automation project.
“They are mobile potable cabins that contain the one-stop Aeronautical Information Service (AIS).
It would be recalled that efforts to get Customs duty waiver for the equipment failed and NAMA raised the fear that the equipment may rust and become obsolete at the seaport if not cleared immediately.
NAMA had said at the time: “Clearing of these goods and paying Customs duties cost hundreds of millions because these are very expensive equipment, we must find funds for doing this clearance and it must be done urgently because the equipment cannot remain in the ports at the risk of bad weather and anything could expire there and we will run the risk of starting all over again.”
According to NAMA, it was asked not to include the clearance fees for the equipment in 2018 budget and was assured that as a government agency the equipment would be granted waiver.
Besides, Akinkuotu emphasised that NAMA had installed the Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) in Jos and Enugu airport in order to further improved the radio network in those areas of the country.
On the inclement weather, the NAMA boss assured that the agency would continue to install more Instrument Landing Systems (ILSs) at airports and stations while any navigation aids that required calibration, would be done as at when due, saying that this would further improve service delivery to its clients.