DEVASTATING
Some automobiles imported into the country have failed safety and emission standards
As the country’s annual vehicle demand hits 720,000 units, Nigerians imported N786.91 billion used vehicles through the seaports between January and September, 2021.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), most of the used vehicles were imported from the United States. Data by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Port and Terminal Mult-sewrvice Limited Command between January and September 2021 revealed that a total of 171,491 units of vehicles were imported through Tin Can Island Port.
The Command said that the figure was 74,130 higher than the 2020 imports of 97,361 vehicles.
Also, the National Bureau of Statistics (NDS) revealed that the country imported used vehicles valued at N185.4 billion between July and September, 2021, while a total of N601.51 billion vehicles were ferried to the port between January and June, 2021.
The United States Census Bureau figures explained that the United States exported over $163 million worth of vehicle parts and accessories to the country and also accounts for a share of more than 60 per cent of the used vehicles and 40 per cent of used car parts in Nigerian market.
Data by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)’s shipping position revealed that no fewer than 6,866 units of used vehicles have been offloaded between October and December, 2021 at Lagos roll-on rolloff port.
It added that 1,606 units were shipped to the port by four vessels in December, 2021, as Glovis Summit offloaded 250 units at Five Stars terminal, APL Hollan discharged 556 units at Tincan Island Container Terminal (TICT), while Paglia and Grande Dakar delivered 400 units each at PTML.
Between September and October 2021, 5,260 units of used vehicles were ferried by 14 roll-on roll-off vessels to the country.
The NPA data revealed that 4,210 units of used vehicles wree offloaded at the Port and Terminal Mult-services Limited (PTML), Tin Can Island Port, before the end of October, 2021. At the terminal, Gral. Sal Martin offloaded 400 units, while Paglia and Grande Marocco, discharged 359 units and 400 units respectively.
Also, Grande Gabon offloaded 350 units; Wisteria Ace, 847 units; MSC Immacolata, 400units; Grande Benin, 350 Units; Grande Lagos, 300units; Grande Argentina, 300units; Horizon Leader, 300units and Grande Sicilia, 204units.
Also in September 2021, the terminal took delivery of 1,050 units from Aurora laden with 300 units, Grande Abidjan, 400 units and Grande Sierra Leone, 350 units.
It would be recalled that in May 2021, eight vessels offloaded 2,850 units of used vehicles at PTML lead by Republican Argentina with 300 units, while Grande Morocco and Grand Lagos discharged 350 units and 400 units respectively.
Also, 2,200 units were offloaded in February, 2021 by Grande Tema with 400 units, Grande Dakar, 400 units, Grande Abidjan, 400 units, Grande Senegal, 300 units, Grande Lagos, 400 units and Grande Ar-gentina, 300 units.
Other vessels were Grande Cameroon with 350 units, Gral. Sal Martin, 400 units, Grande Abidjan, 400 units Grande Togo, 350 units and Grande Senegal, 300 units.
It would be noted that most of the vehicles were those that have been damaged by flood in the United States and Canada, while some of them, which have failed safety and emissions standards, came from Italy,
Belgium, Germany and other European countries. Finding revealed that an estimated 350,000 vehicles in United States were damaged this year by flood. In the first quarter of 2021, data by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that Nigeria imported used vehicles valued at N311.63 billion.
The bureau explained that N140.2 billion was spent on importing used vehicles from the United States in Q1’21, while N33.78 billion was spent for the same purpose in Q2 of this year.
According the bureau’s data, in the second quarter of 2021, imports of passenger cars rose by 14.03 per cent to N311.63 billion compared to the second quarter of 2020 when the imports was N273.28 billion.
It added that N1.09 trillion was spent on vehicle imports in 2020, noting that used vehicles valued at N198.4 billion was imported in the second quarter of 2020, while N210.05 billion and N241.91 billion used vehicles were ferried into country in the third and fourth quarters of 2020 respectively.
Meanwhile, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)’s adoption of more stringent diesel and petrol fuel specifications has not been addressed in Nigeria.
West African countries had set aside January 1, 2021 and January 1, 2024 to tackle the issue of older, poorly maintained, high polluting diesel engines’ shipment into their domain.
