Ngeria’s auto policy on top gear –NADDC DG

Director-general of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Jelani Aliyu has said the auto policy is working. 

The NADDC boss explained that, the federal government through the agency is generally implementing the NAIDP and I think it is very important to set some facts straight. The industry has come a long way. It is succeeding and will continue to succeed, he said.

He spoke in an interview on the NTA Network Service monitored by our correspondent.  Aliyu Jelani disclosed that, the sector has reported exponential growth in the last few years while more jobs have been created.

According to him, “The industry has come a long way. It is succeeding and will continue to succeed. Let us look at where we were in the 70’s and 80’s. The industry was looking up. Then in 86, the price of crude oil crashed from 24 dollars per barrel to below 10 dollars per barrel. At that time, that was the one commodity that Nigeria was still dependent on, it sent Nigeria into recession.

People could no longer buy those Peugeots and Volkswagens, they had to close shop and leave. The federal government said that would not be allowed to happen. So the NAIDP implementation began. NADDC is championing that policy.

The NADDC director general declared that when talking about the automotive policy, it has yielded results that is why well over 1 billion dollars is being invested in Nigeria by many companies in Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Kano and many other places.

“These companies are actively producing quite a number of vehicles. We have a whole lot more than six companies that are actively operating in Nigeria. These companies have a combined capacity of over 400,000 vehicles per annum.

So both the government and the investors have delivered. The challenge being faced is the market. It takes certain measures for the market to really grow. 

Jelani pointed out that the country needed vehicle financing and that the economy itself to grow and it has continued to grow because what is important is that the purchasing power of the average Nigerian  needs to grow.”

He said the auto industry in Nigeria cannot be divorced from the global economic forces, adding, “Just like the price of crude oil depends on global forces, so also the price of various components used in producing a vehicle.

“There is a certain level of affordability that you cannot go below. But yet there are companies who have invested in Nigeria, invested in producing vehicles. These vehicles are available for purchase,” Aliyu stated.

Furthermore, he expreased hope that, the executive orders three and five passed by President Muhammadu Buhari will go a long way in ensuring that all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) purchase Made-in-Nigeria vehicles.

“We additionally call on government agencies to also patronize vehicles made in Nigeria. We also call on companies, especially those working on government contracts and projects to purchase vehicles made in Nigeria”. 

Buying locally aasembled vehicles we believe will go a long way in unlocking the potential of the country. But the capacity to build 100 thousand vehicles in Nigeria already exists,” he stated.

MIKE OCHONMA 

Editor