Hazardous imported vehicles

The report of a study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a non-governmental organization, saying that 90 per cent of vehicles imported into Africa, particularly Nigeria, are old and are dangerous to public health is, indeed, worrisome.
The trend is even more disturbing considering the fact that the continent is already battling with environmental degradation including pollution as well as a defective and epileptic health care sector.
The Programme Manager, Clean Air and Sustainable Mobility Programme of CSE, Ms Priyanka Chandola, disclosed this after a study on used vehicles made available in a statement in Abuja last week.
She said there was urgent need for global intervention to stop the unregulated dumping of used vehicles in Africa to reduce health and climate risks.
She said that the action plan was to enforce stringent measures to stop end-of-life, unsafe, damaged and recalled vehicles from entering the market.
“About 85 per cent of the vehicles in Ethiopia, 80 per cent in Kenya and 90 per cent in Nigeria are second-hand, while the vehicle ownership rate in Africa is lower than the world average, the growth rate has increased.
“The global community which has, time and again, expressed its deep concern about the deteriorating air quality in the southern world, cannot look away from this problem of dumping anymore.
“If this continues unchecked, without the exporting countries sharing the responsibility of addressing this problem, the poorer countries will not be able to meet their clean air and climate mitigation goals,” she said.
Chandola said that based on the affordability levels, an outright ban on used vehicle import might not be immediately possible in many importing countries.
She said, however, that putting an age restriction along with higher taxes on older vehicles was needed to eliminate the dirty stream.
According to her, though several countries have increased taxes on older vehicles, these are seen more as a revenue source than a deterrent for imports.
Reports show that many companies that make vehicles, including Volkswagen, Ford and Toyota have had cause to recall many of its new vehicles over emissions that harm the environment.
None so far has been reported to be recalled from Africa.
It is unfortunate that despite a robust automotive policy aimed at encouraging the local manufacturing of vehicles, Nigerians still spend about N600 billion annually on import of the commodity.
The Director-General, National Automotive Council (NAC), Mr Aminu Jalal, made the disclosure in Abuja recently.
He said that about 50,000 new and 150,000 used vehicles were imported into the country yearly.
“Nigerians spend an average of N400 billion on importing passenger cars and by the time you add trucks and other vehicles, the amount Nigerians spend on imported vehicles will be running to N600 billion annually.
Our current policy structure encourages importation and discourages production.
That is why we are trying to reverse it to something that is obtainable in India and others where it is easier to set up manufacturing plant than importing vehicles,” he said.
In an apparent move to address the fears of automobile manufacturers in Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari in February this year signed an Executive Order aimed at boosting domestic production of goods and creating jobs in science, technology and engineering in the country.
But speaking on the order, automotive manufacturers in Nigeria under the aegis of Nigerian Automotive Manufacturers Association (NAMA), who were encouraged to invest in the sector by the country’s auto policy of 2013, are saying their investments are suffering, even as the second hand automobile market is being tacitly promoted and allowed to flourish by the federal government.
In a statement issued recently in Lagos, NAMA, which is an association of all vehicle companies, like the older PAN Nigeria Limited and ANAMMCO, as well new comers like Innoson in Nnewi, Coscharis Ford etc; argued that the negative impact of the policy shift on the economy will outweigh the short term benefits.
Blueprint is miffed by the lack of political will to ensure the pragmatic and holistic implementation of Nigeria’s automotive policy, which has consequently pave the way for imported used cars, popularly known as Tokunbo, to thrive.
This is not only killing the economy in terms of missed employment opportunities, capital flight but also accounts for most of the road accidents across the country as well posing great hazards to public health.
We, therefore, urge the federal government to ‘breathe life’ into its plethora of legislation and policy frameworks such as the National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP) which was launched in 2014, vision 20:20:2070, and the 70 per cent tariff on imported used vehicles.
This, in our view, will ultimately lead to industrialisation, economic activities, employment, among other strategic benefits.