Jelani defends over 50 Auto Assembly Licenses In spite the repeatedly criticism that has trailed the issuance of over 50 auto assembly licenses to Nigerian companies by the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) by his predecessor, the new Director General of NADDC, Mr. Jelani Aliyu, has defended it. The DG who spoke to Transport Day newspaper in Lagos after the commissioning of the CFAO Fuso auto assembly plant in Lagos, stated that it will benefit the industry to allow many players to participate. According to him, in a democratic setting, all capable players should be allowed to play, and at the end of the day, the strong ones would survive. He also revealed that new National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP), also known as the Automotive Policy has been passed into law. Now awaiting the President’s assent. The National Automotive Industry Development Plan, NAIDP, was introduced in October 2013 by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration to revive the ailing Nigerian auto industry. The objective of the automotive policy is to restore assembly and develop local content, thus creating employment, acquiring technology and reducing pressure on the country’s balance of payment. He said there was a little to be done to the policy, but that “technically it is on its way to becoming a law.” …Lecturer advocates implementation models for Local Auto Assembling A senior lecturer with the Covenant University, Otta, Ogun state, Dr. Oscar Odiboh, has advocated optional implementation models for Nigeria’s ailing auto industry. Odiboh who spoke in Lagos recently at the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) monthly industry forum, held in Surulere, made his submission against the background of the four years old Nigeria’s automotive industry development plan (NAIDP) by the federal government, which has been roundly criticised by industry stakeholders. According to Odiboh, there is an urgent need to re-jig the implementation style of the policy, hence, he suggested three implementation models as follows: Joint implementation, Sole implementation and NEED implementation. Under Joint implementation, (which he outlined into partnership/co-investor model, provider model and cap investment model) the lecturer advocated the involvement of the Nigeria Auto Manufacturers Association (NAMA), Original Equipment Manufacturers and government as joint deciders, sharing the risks and benefits and shared responsibilities. On Sole Implementation model, he canvased deregulated private sector and regulated public models; while the NEED implementation models covers the Single need model and multi stage need models. Nonetheless, Odiboh, who spoke on the topic- ‘Implementation of Nigeria’s Auto Policy: The way Forward’; insisted that industry is divided and may not thrive until the stakeholders collaborate.]]>
