President Buhari is committed to auto policy —Jalal

Stories by FUNSO OLOJO

The administration of Mohammed Buhari does not intent to dump the controversial Automotive policy as he has reinstated his resolve to pursue the programme.

The Director General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Mr Aminu Jalal gave this assurance to the Chinese investors who were in the country to make enquiries on the policy.

However, the assertion was in sharp contrast to the assurance given by Vice president Yemi Osibajo during the run to the 2015 General election.

The vice president has said that the if APC was elected into power, it would review the policy in order to give it a human face.

But Jalal told a group of Chinese investors from the world’s largest manufacturer of high capacity buses, Zhengzhou Yutong Buses Company Ltd who visited him in Abuja.

The Yutong team visited to seek clarifications and make necessary business enquiries, especially in respect to government’s position on the continuity of the auto policy.

The visitors, led by Michael Huang, asked questions concerning tariff protection, applicable incentives, products patronage, quality assurance and standards, among others.

Their visit was in preparatory to the company’s proposed setting up of vehicle assembly operations for the building of high capacity buses in Nigeria.

Jalal said that the president had repeatedly emphasised the Federal Government determination to diversify the economy through promotion, support and protection of the industrial sector.

He told his visitors that the automotive sub-sector with sufficient capacity for mass employment was one of the major areas where the country had great potentials.

Jalal stated that the Federal Government was committed to the patronage of Made-in-Nigeria automobiles.

To this end, he said that all federal ministries, departments and agencies were mandated to source their vehicle procurements from local assembly plants.

Jalal said that the exception was where the specification of the required vehicle was not among the range of models being produced by the various brand names in the country.

He said that the council was also talking to state governments to appreciate the benefits of buying from local producers.

According to him, it takes time to explain the different instruments of the automotive policy, including the vehicle import tariff plan aimed at discouraging importation, among others.

‘’Now that we have succeeded to a large extent in bringing back assembly operations into Nigeria, we are now focusing attention on local contents development and quality control.

‘’Efforts are now geared toward attracting international Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to partner with our indigenous entrepreneurs in setting up local manufacturing facilities’’ he said.