Apr

7

Age Limit for Imported Buses and Trucks

Filed Under Trade 

I just read that the federal government of Nigeria has just decided that buses and trucks imported into Nigeria must not be older than 10 and 15 years respectively. The age limit for imported cars had already been set at 8 years some years ago. In the report - at least the part I read in the newspaper - there was no mention of air pollution. The minister of trade and commerce, Charles Ugwu, said that it was to stop the ‘importation of vehicles that would require excessive maintainance’. Well, the real reason is not really that far-fetched: the announcement was made at a meeting with the local automotive manufacturers/assemblers and major importers/distributors. Remember, Nigeria has a history of import prohibition as a trade policy instrument.

The first thing that came to mind: Tell those importers in Cotonou that business just got better.

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Comments

7 Responses to “Age Limit for Imported Buses and Trucks”

  1. omodudu on April 7th, 2008 8:29 pm

    Discussing this with a Nigerian car dealer living in NY. He does not seem bothered at all. He feels its just one more inconvenience. It appears that the law isn’t air tight.

  2. loomnie on April 7th, 2008 8:35 pm

    Oh sure it isn’t air tight, it only makes things a bit more difficult. I am afraid that the people who are going to be affected are not the car dealers but the guys in Stuttgart, Amsterdam or Brussels who want to send a bus to their brother in Lagos.

  3. Random African on April 7th, 2008 9:02 pm

    It’s not only the importers but also the Port Authority, the Customs and their workers in Cotonou that are probably popping champagne !

    And while we’re discussing the car dealers or the people in the diaspora being affected, let’s not forget the people who need trucks and buses in Nigeria whether they buy them or receive them as gifts.

    And it’s funny how nobody mentions the major unintended consequence of that import age limit: poor nigerians who can’t afford recent enough vehicules spend time and ressources keeping their even older vehicules in service. And honestly, the fact that one sees so many 20 or 30 years old vehicules on Nigerian roads seems to me a bigger cause of concern (for pollution, for security) than 10 years old vehicules.

  4. loomnie on April 7th, 2008 9:19 pm

    @Random African. The party is going to be really great in Cotonou. And yea, the fact that nobody mentions these consequences shows the way policies are formulated and implemented around here.

  5. Random African on April 7th, 2008 11:02 pm

    Let me not forget the smugglers and their partners on both sides’ law enforcement !
    (yes, I said it with Jay-Z’s voice)

  6. Assorted Nigerian Stories « shakara on April 9th, 2008 7:37 pm

    [...] Via Loomnie, I learn that the minister of Commerce and Industry announced, at a meeting with the local automotive manufacturers that the ban on importing cars past a certain age will be extended to buses and trucks, to the satisfaction of the Port of Cotonou, the smugglers and the guys who know how to keep this bus on the road: [...]

  7. solomonsydelle on April 10th, 2008 6:34 pm

    lol @ Random A using Jay-Z’s voice.

    I can only hope that this will have some impact no matter how miniscule on accident rates but there needs to be more work done in the area of vehicular education to have a significant impact.

    Thanks for the heads up on this.

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