NASS Shuns New Auto Policy In N4.7billion Vehicles Acquisition Plan

Findings by Leadership revealed that, of all the cars, sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and other logistics vehicles to be purchased by both the National Assembly and the presidency, none of them is from among the locally assembled models in the country, raising doubts on the support of the government to the celebrated national automotive policy.

While the Presidency voted the sum of N3.63 billion for BMW saloon cars for principal officers and another N189.1 million voted for tyres for various vehicles, including the bulletproof and plain Mercedes Benz cars being used in the Presidency in the 2016 budget, the Senate plans to spend its share of the total sum of N4.7 billion on Toyota Land Cruisers 2016 model for its 109 members. The senators also want their vehicles to come with integrated navigator cruise control, and QI-Compartible wireless charging and Kinetic dynamic suspension system.

The House of Representatives plans to buy two Mercedes Benz S550 2016 Model, with full option and bullet proof, as well as 14 Toyota Land Cruisers, 5.7L petrol engine, 2016 Model, with full option and keyless entry.

The identities of the choice cars for the members of the legislature were contained in an advertorial placed in one of the national dailies on November 13.

Other favored car brands and models include American brand, V8, VXR “with intelligence,” Peugeot 607 and 406 sedans, Prado jeeps, Hilux vans and other exotic Toyota models, broadly described as “utility and operational vehicles.” None of these are currently being assembled in Nigeria.

While Toyota, Mercedes and BMW cars are not being assembled in the country at the moment, PAN Nigeria has not commenced local manufacturing of Peugeot 607 and 406 models, suggesting the government and the NASS will have to source the vehicles from abroad, a rejection of the made-in-Nigeria brands and models.

Automobile industry investors and stakeholders who spoke on the matter lamented that the plan of the government to source the vehicles from outside the country, stressing that sourcing the automobiles from the local industry would save the country from huge capital flight that leads to severe loss of foreign exchange.