BY August, the National Automotive Council, NAC, would be 20 years old. Its mandate in Act 84 of 25 August 1993 is to ensure the survival, growth and development of the Nigerian automotive industry using local human and material resources.

NAC was to drive employment generation, technology acquisition, and effective utilisation of local raw materials in the Nigerian automobile industry. Ultimately, NAC was to fund research in the making of the Nigerian car, an automobile that would have most of its components from local materials, and with the artistry of Nigerian engineers in order to save Nigeria money – and the jobs that are lost to imports. Instead NAC officials are busy complaining about the failures of the industry.

Few would remember the politician Dr. Ezekiel Izuogu, an electrical/electronics engineer, and a lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic, Owerri, who in 1997 made prototypes of his first ever all-African car which he named Z-600.

BBC’s Hilary Andersson described it as the all-African dream machine, made for the family market with a top speed of 140km (86m) per hour. Ninety per cent of its parts were sourced locally. It would have cost just $2,000 to own one, which would have made it the cheapest car in the world. In 2005, South Africa authorities wanted Izuogu to build the car in their country.

NAC never looked Izuogu’s way until the dream died in 2006 when armed men broke into his workshop and stole all the manuals, designs, engine blocks and completed prototypes of  Z-600.

It is unfortunate that NAC missed the vision. It never provided support that would have prospered the Nigerian automobile industry.

Sources of funds for NAC according to Section 9 (a) of its Act includes, “Two per cent of the Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) value of all imported, Fully Built Units (FBU) auto component spare parts, Completely Knocked Down (CKD) and raw materials brought in for the automotive subsector.”

NAC Director-General Mr Aminu Jalal laments that about 50,000 new and 150,000 used vehicles were imported into Nigeria 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.”

We do not know when he started counting, but N600 billion on vehicle imports translates to N12 billion revenue for NAC. It is money that should be invested in research and promotion of the Nigerian car. What has NAC done with the funds in 20 years?

The launching of Made-in- Nigeria vehicles in 2017 is no longer realistic, according to Jalal. When will it be possible?

NAC should worry about its relevance.