.A used vehicle being loaded into a container for shipment.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has warned the Federal Government to be careful not to undermine existing vehicle assembly plants in the country.
Speaking with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos, the President of MAN, Engineer Mansur Ahmed explained that, by creating room for the increase in the number of vehicle imports into the country will obviously scrap out the need for our own assembly plant.
Ahmed also called for a continuous review of the automobile policy in other to ensure that the policy is helping the industry to grow rather than undermining it.
“Like I said, the industry needs that development, if the duties are reduced, then it will definitely bring down the prices of cars coming into the country. Then for vehicle assembly plants in this country, we have to be careful that we don’t undermine the industry by creating room for increase in number of imports because that will obviously scrap out the need for our own assembly in the country”
The MAN boss maintained that stakeholders in the sector should be carried along when policies are made in the sector even as he stressed that making policies without involving stakeholders in the sector will only undermine those who are in the business.
“I don’t think the automobile policy should be scrapped, but there should be continuous review of the policy to adjust it, so that we can always make sure that our policy is helping the industry rather than undermining it, scrapping the policy is not the answer it is actually continuous review. And such review should actually be successes by involving with stakeholders. If you’re doing a policy for auto industry, you should consult those who are in the business those who are already producing them”
“Otherwise you will go and make policies that will undermine those who are already in business. The whole idea about economic management is to balance things and ensure that why you are encouraging investment, you are not also creating a condition that will undermine existing policies”.
He charged the government to ensure that there is prompt implementation whenever policies are made.
“What I believe is that, it is one thing to make a policy and it is another thing to ensure that the policies are implemented appropriately. Those who are in charge of regulating the duties like the customs and also those who deal on vehicles like the auto dealers should monitor to ensure that they are not taking undue advantage of the duty when reduced and do things that ordinarily, they are not supposed to do”, he said.
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