Nollywood Actress Uche Elendu has added her voice to the cry of Nigerian businesses who are crushing under the weight of high import duties imposed by Nigeria Customs in connivance with major courier companies like DHL and UPS.
Speaking in a video on Instagram, the Actress lamented the high import duty she was being made to pay on good imported into the country as well as thousands of other Nigerian business owners.
She accused DHL and customs of conniving to defraud Nigerians and drive up inflation in the country by charging such high fees as import duty charges.
According to her she was being charged N550,000 for importing an item less than $300. On another occasion she was was charged N6.5 million for bringing in goods with $1,000 into the country.
She appealed to the Nigeria Customs Service to reduce the exorbitant fees being charged in collaboration with courier companies so that businesses will not be shut down and people will resort to crime.
She reiterated that this was a time for government to support small businesses in the country and not to stiffle people who are contributing to the growth of Nigeria’s economy.
The words of the actress echoes the complaints of Nigerians regarding high import charges imposed by Customs and courier services.
Reports by Nigerians indicate that Nigeria Customs charge almost double the actual value of the good being imported into the country.
For example, a Lagos resident, Fola imported several toys and toiletries worth N140,000 through DHL which charged N50,000 as delivery charges.
See Also: How DHL, UPS, FEDEX Partner With Nigerian Customs To Defraud Ordinary Nigerians
When the goods arrived Nigeria, DHL did not even bother to call Fola for days after the package arrived Nigeria.
When Fola finally became exhausted and contacted DHL, the logistics company informed him that Customs had applied a duty of N57,000 to the package, and Fola was to credit the amount to DHL’s account with GTBank before shipment could be delivered.
Other Nigerians agreed with Uche Elendu as many of them also shared their experiences of extortion at the hands of the Nigerian customs and courier services.
Some people also alleged that they are asked to pay N1.5 million as import duty for a car that costs N1 million and begged customs not to kill small businesses in the country.
See the Video below.