The immediate past Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, as well as the Director General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Mr. Jelani Aliyu, have expressed optimism over the new Auto policy that was approved by the President Muhammadu Buhari shortly before the end of his tenure.
Both government officials expressed their optimism last week during the commissioning of the NADDC Auto Training Centre in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti state.
According to the Minister, “In line with the recently approved Policy on the Automotive Sector of the Nigerian economy, it has become imperative that infrastructures and human capacity building be emphasized to match up with the content of the policy to address challenges bedeviling our nation in the automotive sub-sector of the Nigerian Economy.
“The policy which addresses amongst other things increase in local production of vehicles, 40% local content as well as attaining the 30% locally produced electric vehicles is also aimed at generating about one million jobs.
In this wise, the Federal Government constructed 21 automotive training centers across the country to enhance national spread, justice, equity and fairness to all the geo-political zones of the country. This will also reduce social vices amongst our teeming unemployed youth.
Also speaking in the same vein, Jelani said “The Federal Government recently approved the new National Automotive Industry Development Plan 2023 to aggressively build on the successes achieved so far in the Nigerian Automotive industry.
“The new NAIDP would strategically provide outstandingly competitive fiscal and non-fiscal incentives that automotive industry manufacturers/producers, assemblers, investors, developers and all relevant stakeholders need.
“The Policy equally aims to increase the local production of 40% local content and attain 30% locally produced Electric vehicles. The plan would also generate jobs, enforce patronage of locally produced vehicles by Federal, State and Local Government.”
According to Jelani the Automotive training centres cover the six geo-political zones which include Kogi, Bauchi, Enugu, Osun, Yobe, Gombe, Zamfara, Lagos, Jigawa, Akwa-Ibom, Plateau, Kano, Kastina, Kebbi, Ebonyi, Niger, Anambra, Abia, Ogun, Sokoto and Ekiti State.
The event was graced by the presence of the representative of the Governor of Ekiti State as well as the Traditional Ruler of Ado-Ekiti, Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe.
