National President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu has advocated zero duty for importers of automobile parts.
Shittu made the plea in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
He said that the gesture would encourage manufacturers to bring in their equipment which, in turn, help to create more jobs and support local assembly plants.
“Since it takes about 2,000 different parts to make a vehicle, government should encourage manufacturers of those parts.
“Rather than being sellers of imported parts, we should be able to manufacture. And you see a lot of them are in Aba; they are in Nnewi; they are in Onitsha.
“If you do a deliberate assistance to those people, let them bring in the equipment for that manufacturing free of duty, as a matter of encouragement.
“Just imagine what 2,000 parts multiplied by minimum of three companies, multiplied by the number of people they will employ, that is a large pool for the country,” he said.
Shittu said that the automobile companies would provide jobs for many Nigerians and boost the economy, considering the high demand for vehicles.
According to him, if deliberate attention can be given to small enterprises in the automobile sector, it will also lead to the emergence of many made-in-Nigeria vehicles in the next five years.
He said that the 70 per cent import duty imposed on vehicles by the Federal Government would push the business of vehicle importation to neighbouring countries.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.