Post date: Jan 03, 2014 3:42:41 PM
Interest in armoured luxury cars is rising among Nigeria's upper class population as auto firms intensify research work on the armouring technology. The prevailing insecurity situation in the country's north is a motivating factor in purchasing armoured vehicles. A Nigerian owned armoured automobile manufacturer, Proforce Defense has commenced production making them the first to set up shop in the West African country.
LAGOS, NIGERIA (REUTERS) - At a factory in South-West Nigeria, mechanics are hard at work, putting finishing touches on vehicles.
But these are not just any ordinary vehicles. These are armoured vehicles, a sight that is becoming increasingly common on the roads of Nigeria's capital, Lagos.A rise in demand for armoured vehicles has been spurred on by ongoing insecurity in Nigeria's north where Islamist group, Boko Haram have been fighting over the years to establish an Islamic state.
Although for many years buying armoured cars was reserved for the wealthy and politicians, a local company Proforce defense has been trying to change that, by offering their services to the general public.
Assembled locally, it takes 10 to 12 weeks for the armouring process to be completed, during which the body of the car is armoured with ballistic steel, the wheels are worked on, the roof, engines, fuel tank, the seats, tyres; all reinforced with the aim of achieving enhanced protection from any attacks.
A new automotive policy, put in place by Nigeria's government in November 2013, stipulates that the importation of both new and fairly used cars will attract an extra 70 percent on import duty and the value of the car. This has also contributed to the rise in demand for armoured cars made locally instead.
"Because the president has come up with the automative policy, it has now made people to start looking inwards, people now look inwards and because people look inwards, they now start asking, calling us to submit proposals, to submit quotations all over the place not even only in the country; so many countries all over Africa have called us. We just got a call from a French speaking country where they want us to supply four militarised armoured land-cruisers to be used in that country so even the export market is looking very feasible and very viable," said Adetokunbo Ogundeyin, chief executive officer, Proforce Defense.
Proforce armouring services go for between 60,000 to 90,000 US dollars, making it affordable only for the wealthy. A new armoured armoured car costs about 400,000 US dollars.
Some analysts have criticised the government for not doing enough to protect its citizens and equip its police to provide security, forcing people to find other means to protect themselves.
"I think what we need in Nigeria here which is most unfortunate that we're missing is about intelligence, it's about intelligence gathering and that requires the uniformed men that you're talking about, I mean they're Nigerians, they are under-paid, they are not welfarised, their jobs are not recognised, they are not in anyway motivated so they can't actually do the job the way they are meant to do it. You get to a police station, you need to go and buy the paper with which you are writing your statement, you will need to mobilise their vehicle to go and apprehend criminals or even accused, how will they and the vehicles can't drive itself," said Lanre Suraj, Chairman, of the Civil Society Network Against Corruption.
Although for some consumers an armoured car is necessity for protection, for many others armoured cars come with a sense of prestige, and makes them stand out from ordinary cars.