IF the statement had been uttered by a junior official of government, it could have been assumed that (s)he was probably speaking in a private capacity and not unfolding the mind of the government. But it was made by no less an official of the Federal Government than the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite. According to the minister, the Nigerian government prefers to buy imported vehicles because local manufacturers are still found wanting in terms of providing after-sale services. The minister gave this verdict at a stakeholders’ engagement forum organised by the National Automotive Design and Development Council in Lagos recently, an event that had in attendance industry players billed to discuss the effective implementation of the Nigerian Automotive Industry Development Plan.
Saying that the government’s stance on prioritising after-sale services aligned with its commitment to operational efficiency, reliability, and fiscal responsibility in managing its fleet of vehicles, the minister urged automakers at the forum to give renewed attention to after-sales support to ensure the success of their businesses. Her words: “The auto industry is key to achieving economic diversification and this is in line with the mandate of the ministry to ensure full diversification and full industrialisation of the economy. Addressing customer complaints is not solely the government’s responsibility. We want to encourage local manufacturers to take some responsibility for business and operational risks. In addressing the concerns of buyers of Nigerian vehicles, I have engaged a lot of people who buy Nigerian vehicles, and the common complaint is that they don’t have a service centre.”
To say the least, Minister Uzoka-Anite’s prognosis is provocative. It is utterly misguided. Just how can the local auto industry grow without government support? If the government or the general public has reservations about the vehicles churned out by local automakers, why not ensure that the automakers address those concerns instead of wasting scarce foreign exchange on imported vehicles? What is the role of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the minister’s own ministry? It is instructive that while the Nigerian government bellyaches over the work of Nigerian automakers, the governments of neighbouring countries, as well as key private sector players in those countries are patronising them. So why can’t the Nigerian government? Is the minister saying that those neighbouring countries do not know what they are doing? How do you grow the naira when you don’t “buy Nigeria”, like the government itself has been campaigning for some time now? Why not give the local automakers incentives to perfect their craft? If the government is not encouraging Nigerians to patronise local automakers, how will the private sector and private individuals patronise them?
It smacks of the highest level of irresponsibility for the government to say that it is more interested in patronising foreign automakers because local manufacturers do not offer enough after-sale services. At the risk of sounding repetitive, whose duty is it to ensure that producers and manufacturers in Nigeria operate in line with international standards? Who is to ensure that manufacturers do not take consumers for granted and that consumers get the best treatment and value for their spendings? If after-sale services are crucial to having a worthwhile experience with buying a vehicle, whose responsibility is it to ensure that all local manufacturers give such service? And here we have the government shirking its responsibility and still hiding under its failure to perpetrate other negatives! Which people or concerns are then to patronise the local vehicle manufacturers licensed by the government if the government would not do so? Is this stance not essentially showing that the government is not serious about local development and the ultimate health of the economy?
How would the Nigerian economy grow when local manufacturers are not patronised and are unable to sell their products? It is ridiculous for the government to shy away from ensuring that local manufacturers develop and are made to live up to necessary standards, while patronising foreign manufacturers and encouraging them to develop their own economies, starving the local economy of purchases. We hope that the government will realise the utter absurdity of its present position and quickly reverse itself. The present stance is a danger to both the government and the country.
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