The Federal Government of Nigeria has reversed its decision to ground 60 private jets owned by individuals due to unpaid import duties totaling billions of naira.
It was reported on Monday that the Nigerian government, via a directive from the Nigeria Customs Service to the Nigeria Airspace Management Authority, was set to ground the defaulting private jets over unpaid import duties, according to The Punch.
Reports indicate that many private jets in Nigeria have not paid import duties, with the Nigeria Customs Service aiming to recover billions of naira in unpaid taxes.
This situation prompted the NCS to conduct a one-month verification exercise on private jet owners from June to July, assessing compliance and identifying defaulters.
The recent decision to ground the private jets follows nearly three months after the NCS’s verification exercise aimed at identifying owners with unpaid import duties.
However, the acting Managing Director of NAMA, Umar Farouk
stated that the private jets have not yet been grounded because the NCS sent a new letter requesting an additional 30-day window for the debtors to settle their import duties.
“We were supposed to ground the jets today (Monday) but we got another letter from customs requesting that the action be suspended for another month, maybe that is to allow for settlement,” Farouk stated.
This extension suggests a continued effort to resolve the outstanding payments before taking further action.
Also, a statement signed by the spokesperson of the NCS, Abdullah Maiwada, confirmed the acting MD’s position, saying the customer service had extended the verification exercise by a month.
Maiwada explained that the extension was intended to facilitate further engagement with operators who have shown a willingness to regularize their unpaid import duties.
“The Nigeria Customs Service wishes to inform the general public, particularly operators of privately-owned aircraft, that the verification exercise for the recovery of import duties on illegally imported private aircraft has been extended by one month, from Monday, October 14, 2024, to Thursday, November 14, 2024,” the NCS stated.
