Nigeria’s reliance on foreign vehicles and components has reached a critical flashpoint, with the nation spending a staggering N6.54 trillion on transport equipment and spare parts between 2023 and 2025.
Oluwemimo Osanipin, Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), disclosed these figures during the opening of the West African Automotive Summit in Lagos.
Citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Osanipin revealed that vehicle imports alone accounted for over N4.3 trillion, marking a sharp 107% increase in total automotive imports over just two years.
Addressing the summit’s theme, “After-Sales as a Growth Engine,” the NADDC boss warned that this rising import bill poses a significant threat to the growth of Nigeria’s domestic automotive sector.
He emphasized that the future of the industry hinges on more than just initial sales; it requires a robust ecosystem of maintenance services, technical support, and the ready availability of genuine spare parts.
According to Osanipin, building a dependable after-sales infrastructure is the only way to bolster consumer confidence and encourage Nigerians to transition toward locally assembled vehicles.
The Director-General further noted that poor maintenance cultures and weak support networks have historically discouraged investment and eroded consumer trust.
To counter this, the NADDC is currently collaborating with industry stakeholders on skills acquisition programs and technical training.
These initiatives are designed to prepare the Nigerian workforce for the shifting landscape of automotive technology, specifically as the global and local markets begin to embrace electric and hybrid vehicle systems.
In a final charge to the private sector, Osanipin urged automobile companies, dealers, and service providers to invest heavily in nationwide distribution networks and customer support infrastructure.
He described the summit as a strategic gateway for West African players to align on local content development and sustainable mobility solutions.
By strengthening the after-sales sector, the federal government aims to transform the automotive industry into a genuine driver of job creation and economic stability, reducing the nation’s fiscal drain on foreign transport equipment.
