By Moses Akaigwe

The nationwide tour of auto manufacturing and assembly facilities by the management of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) and members of its Governing Board moved eastward last week.

On Wednesday, September 16, 2026 (barely 24 hours after the tour commenced in Lagos), the team visited Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Ltd (IVM), in Nnewi, and Kojo Motors, in Umunya, both in Anambra State.

NADDC Board Chairman, the DG, Innoson Chairman , other members of the Board and Directors of the Council, during the visit to Innoson in Nnewi on Wednesday, September 26, 2026

Led by the Chairman of the NADDC Governing Board, Chief Emma Eneukwu, OFR, and the Council’s Director General/Chief Executive Officer, Otunba Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, the industrial familiarisation and listening tour afforded the visitors the opportunity to assess the operations, technical capabilities and production capacities of the facilities, as well as identify areas requiring further support.

Speaking during the fact-finding tour, Chief Eneukwu said he was impressed by the level of investment and technical development witnessed at the facilities.

He explained that the visit was designed to provide Board members with first-hand information about the technical know-how, production capacity and challenges confronting local vehicle manufacturers.

The Chairman stressed the need for a strong automotive industry law that would empower the Council to effectively regulate the sector, address the influx of used and substandard vehicles into the country, protect local manufacturers and create an enabling environment for locally produced vehicles to compete favourably in the market.

He further commended the Federal Government, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for its support towards the development of Nigeria’s automotive industry.

Chief Eneukwu noted that greater emphasis must be placed on local content, technology transfer and skills development to enable Nigerians to acquire the technical expertise required not only to assemble vehicles, but also to manufacture vehicles locally.

Also speaking, Otunba Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin stated that the tour was organised to enable the Governing Board and Management to understand the operations, capabilities and development needs of vehicle assemblers and manufacturers across the country.

The NADDC Director-General expressed delight at the scale of investment witnessed at Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing, particularly its production of commercial buses and mass-transit vehicles, as well as its processes for building vehicles from the chassis stage.

Osanipin commended Innoson’s investment in a major new facility dedicated to the manufacture of electric vehicles (EVs) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles, including heavy duty trucks.

According to him, the investment aligns with the Federal Government’s drive to promote cleaner and more affordable energy and reduce environmental impact.

The Director General assured local manufacturers of NADDC’s continued support in strengthening local content, technology development and the sustainable growth of Nigeria’s automotive industry.

Speaking to journalists after the tour of the yet-to-be-inaugurated, massive new Innoson plant being built to manufacture clean energy vehicles, Osanipin said:

“We are here on a facility tour of vehicle assembly and manufacturing plants to see those that manufacture and those that assemble.

“Our aim is also to know those that have the capacity to manufacture and those that assemble, as well as the calibre of vehicles they churn out. We have been around, and we are proud of what we have seen on the ground, particularly the level of investment by Innoson Vehicle.

“We have seen how Innoson vehicles are built from scratch, and that is why we brought all the members of the Board and people who hitherto thought the company merely assembled vehicles. You can see the level of investment here.

“This place is dedicated to clean energy vehicles, and you can see the electric vehicles and the CNG vehicles, which are in line with the Federal Government’s policy of promoting cheaper energy and ensuring that our environment is cleaner.

“We are here to give them the necessary support, and we have heard their complaints about high tariffs and how their investments are not protected. We will take the complaints to the right quarters and canvass for zero duty on the importation of their raw materials.

“We have seen the steel materials Innoson imported, and we all know that the company paid duties on them. By the time it manufactures its vehicles, the cost of these materials will be added to the vehicles, making their prices high and leaving the products unable to compete with other imported vehicles.

“A situation where importers of fully built vehicles bring them in at zero duty  affecst the patronage of these vehicles that are manufactured in Nigeria. So, the complaints of these automakers in Nigeria are genuine, and we are taking them to the right quarters.”

Receiving the guests at the Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing plants in Nnewi, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, CON, highlighted the importance of transitioning to CNG and electric vehicles  as part of efforts to address the challenges of high fuel costs and promote sustainable transportation.

Dr. Chukwuma commended the Federal Government’s investment in CNG infrastructure and called for a review of policies, including vehicle import duty concessions, which he said places local manufacturers at a disadvantage.

The Innoson Chairman explained that supporting local manufacturing would create employment opportunities, strengthen the economy and ensure that investments in the sector deliver wider benefits to Nigerians.

Speaking during the visit to Kojo Motors’ assembly facility in Umunya, the Executive Director, Mr Chinedu Oguegbu, said the company had operated in the automotive industry for over 30 years and had built partnerships with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) globally, through which it had benefited from technology transfer and international best practices.

The Executive Director, who was with the founder and Chairman, Chief Ikenna Oguegbu, disclosed that Kojo Motors complies with global standards in vehicle assembly and provides warranty and after-sales support through its service centres.

He explained that the company’s partnership with Yutong, one of the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers, had enabled it to assemble the manufacturer’s products in Nigeria, while the OMAA, a Nigerian brand t, was being produced with the ambition of reaching international markets.

The NADDC team lauded both companies for their huge investments, especially in electric vehicles and compressed natural gas vehicles.

NADDC board members that accompanied the Chairman and the Director General during the tour were Bawo Omagbitse, representing Nigerian Automotive Manufacturers Association (NAMA); Rev. Lambert Ekewuba (Motorcycle Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN); Dr. Sabinus Ebiriekwe; and  Wanza Kussy.

Also part of the team were NADDC directors, including Mrs  S.I Amodu, Director HRM;  Mrs Susan Bisong Taiwo- Director Press and Public Relations;

Mr. Nura Sidi, Director Policy, Planning and Statistics; Ikechukwu Okoha, Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations; and Mrs. Felicia Oyebolu, Deputy Director, Zonal Office.

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