Nigeria’s historic Argungu Motor Rally may have come and gone, but winners and losers at this year’s event are still taking reviewing their participation, and one of such participants among top auto assemblers in the country is PAN Nigeria Limited, manufacturers’ representatives and owners of the Peugeot brand in the country.
Only recently, Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed, managing director and chief executive of PAN Nigeria Limited received the winning trophy from Shima Shimbe, the driver of the Peugeot 508 GT sedan that won the last Argunugu Motor rally.
While commending Shimbe, the driver and winner of the trophy, Mohammed added that, “The unique selling points of the winning brand are performance, comfort, fuel economy, adaptability and safety. These are the things that worked in favour of and enabled the car to win the keenly contested race. For the average Nigerian car users, the major attractions of the Peugeot 508GT are its ruggedness and durability.”
At the trophy presentation ceremony, which was decidedly low-key due to the current global pandemic, Mohammed said that, “PAN Nigeria is the oldest and the most consistent participant in the Argungu Motor Race.
The Argungu Motor Rally is Nigeria’s premium and first motorsport that started in the early 1970s as part of the Argungu Fishing Festival. It as overtime developed into a growing and internationally recognized brand. The rally was however suspended in the 80s, later revived in 2004 before going into extinction again till early this year again when the event held.
Peugeot beat others competing brands to win the trophy and was adjudged the overall best winner because it met all the criteria stipulated by the organizers of the rally.
The managing director said, PAN participated in the 2020 edition of the motor race in order to support the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), the federal government agency that drives the modernization, development and growth of the automobile industry in the country. NADDC aspires to use the annual auto rally to prove the importance of the nation’s auto policy, and we fully support this.”
The auto boss explained that “The motor rally created good opportunities for the industry to make a formal presentation of all locally manufactured vehicles in Nigeria to the executive and the legislature arms of government at an elaborate level’’.
“Show and Tell” media ceremony, hosted by the Federal Ministry of Industries, Trade & Investment at the Eagle Square, Abuja. The event gave PAN Nigeria and other local assemblers a platform to showcase its capacity as a foremost manufacturer/assembler in the country, and we commend the organizers for a job well done.”
In 2020, the event made a major comeback as it teamed up with the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) to showcase locally manufactured and assembled automobiles, aimed at promoting and galvanizing our automotive sector.
The three days race covered seven states: FCT, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto and Kebbi. From the flag-off point at the Eagle Square in Abuja, FCT, to the flag-down centre in Argungu, Kebbi State, the drivers traversed 13 major cities and towns: Abuja, Keffi, Kachia, Kaduna, Funtua, Gusau, Sokoto, Shagari, Dogondaji, Tambuwal, Jega, Birnin Kebbi and finally terminating at Argungu, Kebbi state, venue of the event.
