The Nigerian government has instructed private jet owners to submit their documents for verification. This directive was issued by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to identify private jets that were imported improperly and ensure correct import procedures are followed to maximize revenue.
The verification process begins tomorrow and will last for 30 days, taking place at the Nigeria Customs Service Headquarters in Abuja. The exercise will run daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Jet owners must bring several documents, including the aircraft’s Certificate of Registration, various compliance certificates from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and any applicable Temporary Import Permits.
This action follows the government’s earlier suspension of a similar verification exercise, which aimed to recover unpaid import duties from private jet operators. The government had grounded about 91 private jets over unpaid import duties totaling over N30 billion.
In 2021, 17 private jet owners, including top business figures and banks, took the government to court to prevent the grounding of their planes over alleged import duty defaults.
Separately, the NCAA has warned private jet owners against using their aircraft for commercial purposes if they only have non-commercial flight permits. The NCAA emphasized strict penalties for violations, including the suspension or revocation of flight permits. Officials have been deployed to monitor compliance at airports.
The NCAA remains firm on enforcing aviation regulations and will continue to impose sanctions for any breaches.
Victoria Ibiama
