By Moses Akaigwe
The Nnewi Automotive Industrial Park, a project of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) geared towards establishing a hub to enhance the welter of industrial and commercial activities in and around Nnewi in Anambra State, has received a shot in the arm from the state government.
During a courtesy visit to the NADDC headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, the governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, and the director-general of the NADDC, Jelani Aliyu, expressed their readiness to forge a productive partnership on the initiative.
Specifically, the collaboration between Anambra and NADDC will cover the provision of asphalted road, electricity and water, provision of solar street lights, as well as the construction of storm drainage system, etc, by the state government.
The NADDC industrial parks project are strategically sited in Anambra, Kaduna and Osun States where there are industrial clusters, primarily to bring together all industry operators to a centralised location for the purpose of sharing infrastructures, resources, information, knowledge and technical expertise in their production processes and activities.
Prof. Soludo commended Aliyu for the achievements so far recorded by the council, describing the NADDC Director General as a Nigerian genius, who is not just the pride of Sokoto, but the pride of the country as a whole.
He spoke on the need to include mandatory procurement of made-in-Nigeria vehicles by ministries, departments and agencies of government {MDAs} and public office holders in the National Procurement Policy.
Prof. Soludo also remarked, “The auto industry is a very critical element of the ecosystem to drive Nigeria towards the right direction to industrialization. Therefore, we must have national consciousness and put Nigeria first. We need to prioritise Nigeria in everything we do”.
Similarly, following an earlier presentation made by the NADDC helmsman on the overview of the council’s activities, Prof Soludo also assured that the Anambra State Government and major auto assemblers in the state would key into the NADDC EV development project in furtherance to the support for development of the local auto industry.
One of the highpoints of the visit of Prof. Soludo to the NADDC headquarters in Abuja, was a brief test-drive of Stallion Motors’ Hyundai EV (Nigeria’s first ever locally assembled electric vehicle), by the Anambra governor.
Apparently impressed during the drive within the NADDC premises, Prof. Soludo commended both the vehicle assembler and the council for their efforts.