Adeosun said this at the opening of a two-day workshop for personnel of the NCS, FIRS and FRSC.
The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, says the integration of the National Vehicle Identification System will take off from March, 2017, to enhance vehicle registration in the country.
Adeosun said this at the opening of a two-day workshop for personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Inland Revenue Service and Federal Road Safety Commission on the new system on Monday in Abuja.
Adeosun said that the collaboration of the three agencies on the system would boost security and needed revenue in the country.
She said that the collaboration was a clear departure from the past when heads of agencies were reluctant to work together to collapse unnecessary bureaucracies for common good.
“There is no doubt that using ICT as an enabler; a common platform, to register vehicles in the country will help reduce cases of smuggling and deal with corruption in the system.
“It will also boost security and much needed revenue to deliver on the change programme of the present Federal Government.
“This collaboration will strengthen the ban on vehicle importation through the land borders, as smugglers will no longer have opportunity to register their vehicles without proof of payment of taxes and appropriate customs duty, ” Adeosun said.
The minister commended the heads of the three agencies of government for the patriotic step.
Adeosun said that the current collaboration would help in early identification of stolen vehicles and reduce the rate of car smuggling.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, retired Col. Hameed Ali, said that INVIS would completely infuse sanity to the system of vehicle registration.
According to him, 70 per cent of vehicles registered for use in Nigeria is not documented for duty purpose.
Ali said that the collaboration was a positive step to complement the recent policy banning importation of vehicles through the land borders.
“Through our collaboration, we are strong in our collective resolve to make smuggled cars unattractive to buyers.
“Over the years, economic saboteurs have profited from the absence of an effective collaboration between agencies of government to perpetuate frauds associated with vehicle importation and registration.
“While scores of lives are lost pursuing smugglers of vehicles across the borders, users of such vehicles succeed in registering the vehicles with fake customs duty papers.
“With this collaboration, I am convinced that complete sanity will be infused to the system of vehicle registration,” Ali said.
The Chairman, FIRS, Mr Tunde Fowler, said the initiative would enhance registration of motor vehicles and bring about reliable documentation and information on them.
Fowler, who was represented by Mallam Mohammed Abubakar, Secretary, Joint Tax Board, said that INVIS would help to eliminate activities of fraudsters involved in forging and faking motor vehicle documents.
In his address, the Corps Marshal, FRSC, Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, said the partnership would boost revenue generation for the country.
Oyeyemi said it would also make registration of smuggled cars difficult.
He called on Nigerians to embrace change and follow due process in vehicle registration.
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