Quest For Foreign Products Will Kill Nigerian Cars —Prof. NwajaguQuest For Foreign Products Will Kill Nigerian Cars —Prof. NwajaguThe Director of Scientific Equipment Development Institute (SEDI), Prof. Christian O. Nwajagu, has said that one major problem with the realization of the Nigerian cars is the fact that most Nigerians are not willing to patronize the Nigerian car even when they eventually come out.
The director who lamented Nigerians’ enthusiasm foreign products said that the quest for foreign products is a major challenge to the actualization of the Nigerian cars. “Even if we produce cars, we will still have a problem. You know Nigerians have mentality of importation of foreign cars. So you can be sure that many may not patronize them; they will say ah! It is not-as-good as Japan (laughs) but at least we can do it. When we went to Malasia, it was an institute like this that gave them their few cars called Proton”, Prof Nwajagu said.
He further said that it is when they get the entire blueprint that they can invite investors before producing one or two prototypes, and then government will pomp in money and build a factory. “It is a question of expanding those species used? If I had only one, government will now put in 10, though depending on the number of cars they want to produce per month. There is nothing magic about all these things. I am happy some people are beginning to believe us because initially they do not believe us. But they are beginning to believe us gradually”, he said.
On the rating of the minister who visited the institute recently, Prof Nwajagu said that the minister was happy with the developments in the institute. “Well, all he said is that we are doing well, but I think he was happy with the fact that we were able to produce machines that are relevant to the needs of the people. Like cassava grater, everybody knows that it is relevant. And also it was able to concurrent the idea of electricity because it goes with the engine. So once you put diesel in it, it begins to work. So that's where I think the minister found very exciting”.
He however applauded the support of some of the South East governors especially Gov. Sullivan Chime of Enugu State. His words: “Gov. Sullivan Chime is the first governor in the country and in the zone that has ever entered SEDI. I wrote several times for courtesy call, the past governors never entered there (here). But Sullivan is the first person that took SEDI like his baby. When he was commissioner of Justice, he was coming; most of the furniture in his office then was manufactured by SEDI. So when he became governor he just took the place like his baby. But we have written letters, written proposals to other governors, yet no response. We have gone to Anambra, they may promise you, and then you keep on following up the letter until you become tired and frustrated and disappointed. We have never got any patronage from Anambra, not from Imo State. But you see, they will be excited when we come especially we come with our PSK. They will say, go and bring proposal, and that's the end of it.
Prof. Nwajagu however appealed to the public to always patronize Nigerian products. My appeal is that they should look inwards now? There is no country that will develop by only importation. And that is the problem. Because people give us things easily, we think we have arrived; we think we are there, but we are not there. If possible government should restrict some of these importations not by banning but by putting big import duty.
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