Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Nigeria’s president and commander-in-chief has applauded the initiative of Stallion Nissan Motors Nigeria (Stallion NMN) as he took delivery of the first five ‘Made-in-Nigeria’ Nissan vehicles produced at the company’s plant in Lagos. The vehicles including three Nissan Patrol SUVs, Almera (Sunny) saloon car and NP 300 pick-up were handed over to the president at the Democracy Day celebration in Abuja last week.
According to the president, the first made-in-Nigeria vehicles are a demonstration of the proficiency of local investors’ aptitude to the potency of a genuine policy to revamp the automotive industry and leverage the status of the economy while enhancing job creation.
“I am quite happy that Nissan has demonstrated the reality of exporting cars from Nigeria is possible, which suggests we can soon as a nation export vehicles to other parts of the world,” according to President Jonathan.
He urged private sector investors to produce more products so the Federal Government can begin to delineate certain percentage of goods that can be produced locally, saying “we thank Nissan for making the best of the new automotive policy, which is part of our agenda to strengthen the private sector and make it a hub for job creation. Government alone can’t create jobs.”
Sunil Vaswani, chairman, Stallion Group, who led a delegation of Nissan to the ceremony, expressed appreciation to the president and the ministry of industry, trade and investment for appropriating the automotive policy, describing it as a historic step towards industrial and economic rejuvenation.
“We are grateful for the implementation of this initiative which is part of government’s 7-point agenda to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) and emancipate the dormant sectors of the economy,” Vaswani said, saying the vehicles were designed to order with the highest global standards for product and technology.
Vaswani also noted that “the evolution of automotive manufacturing sector in Nigeria would not only encourage more foreign direct investments but stimulate industrial clusters such as original equipment manufacturers, steel plants, glass manufacturers, aftermarket shops and transportation service providers, which will facilitate job creation and contribute significantly to the GDP.”
He said the current size of population can convincingly support more than half a million vehicles annually, which is more than sufficient to sustain an emerging automotive industry. The automobile facility located along Lagos-Badagry highway in Lagos can produce 45,000 vehicles annually, Vaswani assured.
He said: “We are on track to expand our investments and further stimulate the growth of a complete auto industry eco-system as envisaged in the new policy.”
Mike Whitfield, head of Nissan’s sub-Saharan Africa region, had likewise commented: “Africa is a strategic market for Nissan. By acting quickly to begin production in Nigeria, we are securing for ourselves the first-mover advantage that will demonstrate our brand leadership and promise of innovation.”
Stallion Nissan Motors Nigeria is a subsidiary of the multinational conglomerate Stallion Group and the sole distributor of Nissan Motors in Nigeria.
