₦airaland Forum

1981 Automobile VER

When the automobile industry in the United States was threatened by the popularity of cheaper more fuel efficient Japanese cars, a 1981 voluntary restraint agreement limited the Japanese to exporting 1.68 million cars to the U.S. annually as stipulated by U.S Government.[1]

The Japanese automobile industry responded by establishing assembly plants or "transplants" in the United States to produce mass market vehicles. They also began exporting bigger, more expensive cars (soon under their newly-formed luxury brands like Acura, Lexus, and Infiniti).

0lumide: No no no no... We are talking about price here. That consumers find one more fuel efficient is left to consumer's choice. We are talking about PRICING and price fixing which led to efficiency. Did American government tell American automakers to sell their cars for cheap or it's as a result of cost? If Americans weren't manufacturing efficiently, how come Toyota, Nissan etc all have their plants in US and Canada? naptu2, say what you know oo.. nuh dey wash to get points.

pazienza: From the above, i understand now that without an outright revolution by the deprived and have nots, there is no stopping of Dangote and his gang, cos they will always have our government on the pocket. Oh dear! naija problems are complex.

Ishilove: Ignore him

0lumide: LMAO!!!! NAPTU2 u don goof ooo. AMERICAN AUTO INDUSTRY IS WHAT YOU JUST CALLED OUT LIKE THAT? LMAO!!
The American auto industry manufacture vehicles efficiently please say what you know! American autos are way cheaper than the Japanese, German cars YES. Even in Europe, American cars are cheaper than European vehicles. People just don't like American cars as much as they do others and the reason is a simple stigma not that American cars are bad. Ford, the most popular brand then goofed on performance and that stigma affected other American auto makers because FORD was the face of American auto industry back then. American vehicles are manufactured just as efficient as others. That it is Optimally efficient is debatable and same goes for other auto industries...

pazienza: So,we have all been turned to slavesof dangote and co in our own country,what kind of rubbish is this? So dangote is the head of so called cabal holding this country down, he thrives on our sufferings,and our government are in bed with them. God punish devil. *apoplectic*

pazienza: US government have a welfare package for the less privileged and her unemployed citizens, Nigeria has none. So don't even compare Nigeria with US

We are talking just about Cement industry, if we can't produce it at a price that will benefit the poor masses, then there is no point producing it at all. Cement are meant for people,not people for cement, we can't continue to be ripped off like this in our country by crooks masquerading as entrepreneurs.


Importation is the answer,since Dangote is now too big to be controlled by the government,and other small manufacturers have now teamed up with dangote against the people,such that the price of cement had been fixed by them,and no longer obey the rules of demand and supply.

biafranqueen: I never said he suddenly became wealthy I just said that he has bought Aso Rock which you agreed with your post! I am well aware that he is part of the elite!

0lumide: naptu2, nobody said we don't have a competition commission. We are saying Dangote and his likes bought them all!!!! And they look away when they are suppose to get to work and get mad at Dangote.

Also, you have no input to majority of what I have listed as problem so i really won't like to stress the conversation any further. You keep saying I have a problem with Dangote. Ask your self why a 25yrs old man will be mad at Dangote? It's like asking why anyone will be mad at JP Morgan who got bailout money yet has a company with 2trillion dollars asset world wide.

I'm personally mad at Dangote because I care about my nation. If that makes me a hater. So be it! Tag me with names, in the end, only what truth certifies will stick simple!

Are you asking me what we advantages in? Holyeee!!! Dem yakpa yaski! As much as Nigerians don't want to accept this, fashion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE HAVE A HUGE ADVANTAGE IN CLOTHING!!!! DANGOTE CAN NOT SELL SHOES MORE THAN ABA BOYS GIVEN A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD. NEITHER CAN HE MAKE MORE CLOTHES THAN THOS TAILORS FROM OGUN, OSUN AND ONDO STATES. HE CAN'T EVEN INDUSTRIALIZE THE LOCAL EMBROIDERY WIZARDRY THE NATIVE HAUSAS WHO ARE THE MASTERS OF DESIGNING A FINISHED CLOTHE.....


Leave that as it may, Let's start with what a real Nigerian with the nation's interest at heart will do. We know we lack power. A wise Nigerian will use his connection to invest in that. Local production, local consumption since we can't import electricity anyways!! Don't give me the story of power being recently privatized blah blah oo because it's inconsequential to the investment.

Commodities we can't import are what the rich should invest heavily in and not freaking lobbying to impose heavy taxes on imported goods. We can't import good roads. We can't import quality education we can only leave the nation to get quality education. The list is endless in what a non greedy person can invest in for nation's survival. Not the economic saboteurs we have that we call hard workers.

Dangote is no hustler mehn.. He can't sell tomatoes more than Iya mulika given a level playing field. Iya Mulika is even far fetched. Dangote can't sell Tomatoes more than the Abokis trucking them down south within Nigeria.

We don't import tomatoes and many perishable goods. how come Dangote isn't competing with those producers? instead he is using his politcians to invest in what we import that can't be produced locally. Can you see where Dangote is a fluke?

pazienza: The measures you are suggesting are not in place and not going to be in place any time soon. And stop talking like cement is the only goods we can produce, what we have with dangote currently is the masses suffering, while one man keep climbing the Forbes's list, that cannot continue. Let's import at cheaper prices, that way,the people suffer less, and we can improve other areas we have comparative advantage on,like agriculture, and use them to balance our export-import ratio.

pazienza: If we have no competitive advantage in Cement,then maybe we should stop producing it, we should focus more on things we have competitive advantage on, things like agriculture, for example, a bag of abakaliki rice is cheaper than the thailand equivalent, if the government grant those farmers more loans and credit facilities, they will be able to produce enough rice to feed the country ,at a cheaper price to the final consumer, so that in the end, we will have a win-win situation for the farmer,government and the people(consumers).

If Dangote can't produce cement at globally competitive price, despite the fact that in Nigeria,he has access to one of the cheapest labour you can get any where in the world, total government support and hence acess to loan facilities any business man can only dream of, then maybe it's time he stops producing, the majority of Nigerians must not suffer for one man to profit. We mustnt produce cement locally.

0lumide: What do we do manny? We can all be on nairaland and act like the el rufais and co.. becoming internet activists hoping the next generation will learn from data files left behind on some internet servers that may die anytime. Or we can all just troop out enmass and shut this nation down once and for all untill the government is transparent, open and sincere....

Sentiments and all other subjective walls will continue to be our problem unless we can guarantee quality education for everyone within the nigerian territory!!

If we have quality education, trust me, Nigerians like naptu won't be here telling us some success stories of Dangote who bribed his way to wealth.

0lumide: Nobody is saying we import everything, I'm saying we focus on what we have a competitive advantage in so we can export and import what we can't efficiently produce.

In economics, we believe there is scarcity of resources and in the case of the general public, MONEY limited!!!

Agreeing that money is limited, we have to efficiently allocate every dime we have in this economy so industries can thrive and expand creating more money.

With Dangote setting high price for commodities he can't efficiently produce, lobbying for the govt to impose high tariff on imports of such commodities, more money will be going into one industry and other industry will be trying to squeeze the remaining money available and many will have to die out as a result. What do we have? Dangote has successfully cornered the nations' scarce funds. Those industries that died out can only be revived with money. Who has money? Dangote!! then he ventures into another industry with money from high prices in the other industry.

After entering the other industry, again the process begins again. High tarrif through govt bribes and lobbying by Dangote and his likes, people pay another high price for another commodity that is cheaper imported, some more industries able to squeeze out money from the first process will die out. The end result equity violated violently again.. and the process goes on and on until the entire industries in the nation are in the hands of a few and the people become slaves in their own nation!!!


My guy bone hype and social rhetoric promoted by the rich to give a good image of themselves. The problem is the rich..

No poor man can get loan in Nigeria even if he has the idea. 99% of Nigerians need to start from the scratch. First sweating through school for tuition. Then grad into an economy with no jobs. Omo the problem is deeper than nairaland discussions. It requires a revolution! an urgent one.

Unless the government is ready to play it's role by enabling equity in income distribution, Nigerians are in for another round of slavery!! The problem is deep my guy. And that is why, I cry everytime I see another starving kid who has a bright future but a very dark present is sucking out the illumination in the future!!


Nigerians let's fight!!! let's all become heroes of our own generation!!!

How will a poor man with a bright business idea get loan? This is where government role is critical!!!

0lumide: Naptu2, my guy, let's be honest with our selves for once. Dangote's wealth is ill gotten.

Tell me how come in a nation of 150mill people, only Dangote was allowed to import rice into Nigeria under Abacha... You are running from the main question.

The question BiafraQueen wanted everyone to answer is why Dangote is getting richer through government


From cement industry, food, and now oil(?)... Look, I'm not an easily deceived person. I need concrete conviction that Dangote didn't get rich through politics and if you want to lie to people that it's hardwork, go ahead but don't try to lie to me bruv. I'm not a kid.. I'm in my mid-20s and my mom don't feed me anymore.


I'm not expecting Dangote to care about efficiency and equity, it's the job of the government to make equity possible and a choice for Dangote to make efficiency possible but why does Dangote have to lobby through bribes and more? WHY?

Why are we paying more for cement when it's cheaper abroad? If dangote wants to test his business skills and will, he should try exporting his product see if it will sell!!

0lumide: Naptu.. Do you understand economics? economy? and the social responsibility of the economy?

An economy can be efficient without the role of government. But it can not guarantee equity which is the role of the government!!!


My guy, I will do like you and put up an article of how Dangote has blocked entrance to the cement market..... reason with me here.

[size=14pt]European Commissioner for Competition[/size]

The Commissioner for Competition is the member responsible for competition of the European Commission. The current commissioner is Joaquín Almunia (S&) who is also a Commission Vice-President.

Responsibilities

The portfolio has responsibility for such matters as commercial competition, company mergers, cartels, state aid, and anti-trust law. The position became the sole merger authority for the European Economic Area in September 1990.

The Competition Commissioner is one of the most powerful positions in the Commission and is notable in affecting global companies.[4] For example, notably preventing the merge of two US companies, General Electric and Honeywell, in 2001.[5] In 2007, Neelie Kroes (then-Competition Commissioner) was the only Commissioner to make Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women; she held position 59.

[size=14pt]United States v. Microsoft Corp.[/size]

United States v. Microsoft Corporation 253 F.3d 34⁠ (2001) is a US antitrust law case, ultimately settled by the Department of Justice, where Microsoft Corporation was accused of becoming a monopoly and engaging in abusive practices contrary to the Sherman Antitrust Act 1890 sections 1 and 2. It was initiated on May 18, 1998 by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and 20 states. Joel I. Klein was the lead prosecutor.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act. Its principal mission is the promotion of consumer protection and the elimination and prevention of anti-competitive business practices, such as coercive monopoly. The Federal Trade Commission Act was one of President Woodrow Wilson's major acts against trusts. Trusts and trust-busting were significant political concerns during the Progressive Era. Since its inception, the FTC has enforced the provisions of the Clayton Act, a key antitrust statute, as well as the provisions of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. § 41⁠ et seq. Over time, the FTC has been delegated the enforcement of additional business regulation statutes and has promulgated a number of regulations (codified in Title 16 of the Code of Federal Regulations).

biafranqueen: you are absolutely right I heard the bread industry was destroyed at that time because flour was not allowed to be imported and great industries went bankrupt because inferior flour was used that would not allow the bread to rise. It destroyed empires

biafranqueen: Nwanna LET US GET to work forcing them to do the right thing. How often do we hear about Nigerians coming together to make the government work for us. We have to start Political Action Groups. I am working on it now for Nnewi business owners every town needs to have a group and we have one state chapter. Stay tuned on Nairaland the website is coming

biafranqueen: great idea it amazes me that Ibeto never thought of this. I agree with you 100% we really have to pressure the next Governor to work on security, the sea/airport, and roads in that order. After that we will be unstopable. We can not wait we have to apply pressure as group, we can not sit back and wait for these thiefs to do the right thing.

manny4life: First off, when you own your own power plant, YOU SAVE MONEY. If you depended on public electricity, you have to pay more because the public utilities have to make their profits anyway. Whenever someone generate or build on their own, they save... At least, under the theory of marginal cost to produce. There are companies like mining companies here who produce their own, and large manufacturing companies generate theirs because it's cheaper anyway. Newer building they build now that spend a lot on solar power do so because in the long run, it's way cheaper than to depend on public electricity (this includes ALL associated costs).

Transportation is a factor but please even if you the transport per cap for each bag was at N100 which is really impossible, assuming all of these you have mentioned, it doesn't justify the 3x rates as sold in other countries. Like seriously, how much cost are we looking at to transport a 54ft trailer containing say 800-1000 bags of cement? At N100 per piece, unless someone is convincing me he spends about 800k to N1million per truck, then it's BS.

Anyway, I think Dangote is getting over us because like someone stated, if it cost N450 total to clear a bag of cement including the import cost, then he's really getting over us. Granted he incurs all this cost and while I really don't blame him, but I think he's taking advantage of the situation and since we have no govt to put necessary infrastructures in place to encourage competition, I guess it is what it is.

In all, I don't blame the man, let our govt get to work.