By Moses Akaigwe
Auto industry stakeholders have thumbed up for the Governor-Elect of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, for hinting that his government would patronise locally made products, including the vehicles produced by Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Ltd {IVM}, Nnewi.
They said it is in alignment with the spirit of the Automotive Policy {Nigeria Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP)} of the government.
Prof. Soludo, who will take over from Gov. Willie Obiano on March 17 in Awka, had while interacting with members of the Transition Committee last week, expressed his commitment to a policy of promoting products made in Anambra, the south-east and other parts of the country.
He hinted that the vehicles would be riding as governor when sworn in would be those made by the Nnewi auto plant. “And I made it clear during the campaign that the official car the governor {of Anambra state} will be riding in is Innoson.”
Reacting to the pronouncement, the Director General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council {NADDC}, Jelani Aliyu, described it as “an excellent development” which he was “very happy about” in view of the tremendous impact it will have on the auto sector.
The NADDC DG lauded the former Central Bank Governor for the laudablr pronouncement, saying “it is the type of commitment needed to move Nigeria’s automotive industry forward.”
He said he has always been impressed with the dedication of the Innoson plant and its founder, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, to the production of vehicles which, according to him, are of high quality standards.
Aliyu further assured that as Innoson continues to produce vehicles for Anambra state, the NADDC would continue to give it all the support it needs.
“We have hope that what Prof. Soludo has done will be replicated across the nation, because this the only way we can provide jobs for millions of our youths,” he stated, urging other state governors as well as Federal Government departments and agencies to purchase only locally produced vehicles in line with executive orders 3 and 5.
The NADDC DG sated that the direct impact of sustained patronage for Innososn and other locally made vehicles is increased production capacity, expressing the belief that Anambra people would be happy and proud of the incoming administration.
Also commenting on the development, the Chief Executive officer of the Centre for Promotion of Private Enterprise {CPPE}, Dr. Muda Yusuf, said “the Soludo example” has a laudable symbolic significance, which deserves to be emulated by others in leadership positions.
Yusuf, who was until mid last year the Director General of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), remarked: “The Soludo example is a practical demonstration of commitment to patronage of made-in-Nigeria products.
This would not only motivate domestic industries, it would promote job creation and multiplier effects on the rest of the economy.”
Like Aliyu, the CPPE CEO observed that despite the existence of a Presidential Executive Order directing that all official procurements should benefit only made-in Nigeria products, over the years, there had been a lot of rhetoric about patronage of locally produced goods, including vehicle.
“But the gaps between rhetoric and reality remains wide,” Yusuf lamented.
Expectedly, the Nigeria Automotive Manufacturers Association, NAMA, have also applauded the hint dropped by Soludo, describing it as very commendable.
The Executive Director of NAMA, Remi Olaofe, who spoke The Sun, stated, “One cannot but commend the recent pronouncement by Anambra State Governor Elect, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, that in supporting local brands, his official vehicles will be locally assembled by Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company.
“This is clearly a step in the right direction looking at the multiplier effect of a decision like this on the Auto Manufacturers’ value chain.
“If every state government has towed this path, we would have witnessed meaningful growth of our Indigenous Auto Assembly Industry.
“The Executive Order 003 of 2017 directed support for local content in Public Procurement by Federal Government, but with the usual problem of policy implementation, not so much has been achieved.”
Olaofe assured that indigenous auto assemblers are assembling vehicles in adherence to world standards which no one has faulted.
To an Akure based utility vehicle builder and Managing Director/CEO, Lafbart Innovations & Consulting Ltd, Olufemi Olafunmiloye, what Prof. Sulodo has done is lead the way towards giving life to a secor that has been discouraged and neglected for a long time.
“Just like one of the ex-governors of Anambra state, Peter Obi, had done Soludo is showing he understands how to build an economy. If first impression is anything to go by, then Prof Soludo is making a beautiful move
“I hope other people in government can take a cue from him as there’s no other way to develop our economy,” Olafunmiloye said.
In his reaction, a well known auto industry stakeholder, Dr. David Obi, whose DVC Limited, was a major supplier of local content to many assembly plants in the country, also applauded “the Soludo example,” arguing that patronage of products of the domestic vehicle plants would help create jobs, increase volume of production and deepen auto technology.
Obi, who is the leader the Association of Local Content Manufacturers of Nigeria and the former Chairman of the Auto Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria {MAN}, urged all tiers of government and their agencies to source all their vehicles locally.
He, howvere, advised the assembly plants to migrate from mere SKD {semi knocked down} assembly to manufacturing in order to create jobs and curb restiveness and insecurity in the country.