NASS and the purchase of Toyota Camry cars

This unhealthy appetite to patronize everything foreign even when locally manufactured products are competitive and offer the best return on money spent is one of the factors that have contributed to the death of our industries and made Nigeria a dumping ground for all kinds of foreign goods and products. This has also resulted in […]

This unhealthy appetite to patronize everything foreign even when locally manufactured products are competitive and offer the best return on money spent is one of the factors that have contributed to the death of our industries and made Nigeria a dumping ground for all kinds of foreign goods and products. This has also resulted in the inability of industries to provide jobs for the teeming unemployed youths in our nation. This to me smacks of sabotage, not only of the efforts of local industries to get to their feet and thrive but also of the efforts to provide a better future for the citizens of this country.

Rather than patronizing foreign made cars and spending such whopping sum for the benefit of a foreign economy, members of the National Assembly should be enacting laws that will make it compulsory to patronize locally made goods. This is not just a matter of political correctness. This is a matter of national survival. It would be ridiculous to expect our government alone to provide jobs for our citizens, and it is as well ridiculous to expect that government can develop the economy of our nation without robust input from the private sector. As a matter of fact, it is when both the government and the private sector work hand in hand that the future development of a nation is guaranteed. The United States of America, one of the world’s best economies, gives ample example of this. For instance, when recently, President Barack Obama came up with a programme to increase employment rates in the U.S it was private sector organizations like General Electric that he partnered with. This is also not forgetting the bailout which the U.S government provided to local auto industries in the U.S to prevent them from folding up.

While it is heartening that the Nigerian government has come up with a stimulus package for auto industries, which even though yet to be assessed, but much still needed to be done by coming up with protective measures to save our local industries from collapse. And just as the Minister for Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, has said recently, Peugeot needs not only protection but also patronage from the government. It is disheartening when one considers that a very important arm of government like NASS is working to frustrate efforts at reviving our local industries.

One after the other Nigerians have woken up to see our industries go under to be replaced by foreign imports. The situation has become so pathetic that today we import toothpicks from abroad. This is certainly a shame for a nation like Nigeria that is so much blessed with the money, physical and human resources to not only become a manufacturing hub but a technological reference point. We have all seen how countries like India and Malaysia, once third world countries like Nigeria, have with government commitment and dedication to developing their local industries within some few years become technological giants to be reckoned with in the world. India and Malaysia have their national cars, cars which they proudly patronize and proclaim as coming out of their local assembly plants. The closest Nigeria has to a national car is the Peugeot brand, yet see how the poor Nigerian attitude and orientation is trying to kill the company.

The plea to protect our local auto industries is not because they are inferior to the foreign imports and thus need to be protected. No at all. I was present when Peugeot unveiled its new brand of luxury cars and to say the least I was held spellbound. Even the President of a country can ride in those cars not to talk of members of our National Assembly. These are cars fit for royalty. But despite these, states like Kaduna who hold a 5% stake in Peugeot will go ahead to purchase 34 Toyota Camry cars for their legislators. How can a state like Kaduna where the Peugeot company has its headquarters and whose indigenes benefit immensely from the company fail to see the negative consequence of its actions? Is it little wonder that Nigerians often lament that their politicians are mostly people who lack foresight and thoughts about how to improve their welfare?

One is left to suspect a more sinister ploy to destroy our local auto industry, a development that is more likely to benefit some cartels who hope to make huge money out of our government by importing cars from abroad. The irony is such cars are usually not as durable as our own locally made cars. If one is looking for any such evidence, the mountain of scrap Tokunbo cars in our garages and auto workshops provide such telling evidence.

I believe it is time Nigerians wake up from their stupor of being bystanders and begin to take interest in the activities of their elected officials. Whether we like it or not, the activities of our elected officials will impact on our lives.

Usman wrote from 25 Mombolo Street, Wuse Zone 2, Abuja