By Moses Akaigwe

The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) has commended the growing local content, manpower development and after-sales capabilities of Lanre Shittu Motors Ltd (LSM), which have distinguished the company as one of Nigeria’s leading automakers.

The observation was made during an oversight tour of the company’s assembly plant by members of the NADDC’s Governing Board.

The facility tour, which took place on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, and was led by the Chairman of the NADDC Governing Board, Chief Emma Eneukwu, and the Director-General of the Council, Otunba Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, provided the board members with an opportunity to assess the company’s vehicle assembly operations, local sourcing, technical workforce and support infrastructure.

L-R: Lanre Shittu Motors (LSM) Finance Officer, Saheed Shittu: LSM Managing Director, Taiwo Shittu; NADDC Board Chairman, Chief Emma Eneukwu; NADDC DG, Otunba Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin; and another, when the NADDC Board members toured Lanre Shittu Motors plant in Lagos, on Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Speaking during the visit, the Managing Director of Lanre Shittu Motors, Mr. Taiwo Shittu, said the company had continued to increase the use of locally sourced components in its assembly operations while reducing its dependence on expatriate manpower.

Made in Nigeria by Nigerians

Shittu disclosed that 326 Nigerians and only one expatriate currently work for the company.

“Looking at our factory, we only have one expatriate and we have 326 Nigerians working for the company right now,” he said.

According to him, the development represents a significant shift from the company’s earlier dependence on expatriate personnel.

“Gone are those days when you had five expatriates. Over time, we have seen that Nigerians are even better. What you just need is to give them the opportunity and give them the working know-how because they have the knowledge. They are willing to catch up,” he said.

He added that the company had discovered considerable technical potential among young Nigerians.

“We have many young and brilliant Nigerians and I would say they are blessed,” Shittu said.

Local content

On local content, the Lanre Shittu Motors boss said the company was already sourcing some components and consumables from Nigerian suppliers.

“The seal we have for the back component is locally supplied. The lubricants are also locally sourced from Kano and Ogun State. We have rubber components that are locally sourced,” he said.

The development underscores the company’s growing integration into the domestic automotive supply chain, with local suppliers participating in the production process.

Shittu said LSM currently operates across a 40,000-square-metre facility, with four production lanes, and has the capacity to produce trucks and buses.

“We have the capacity to produce six trucks, six buses. We have 12 units in the pipeline and 40,000 square metres we are working with,” he said.

Strong after-sales back-up

The company’s after-sales infrastructure also came under the spotlight during the NADDC inspection, with Osanipin specifically identifying Lanre Shittu Motors’ support system as an example of the type of structure required to sustain Nigeria’s local automotive industry.

According to the NADDC DG, the company operates spare parts warehouses in Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt, while also training personnel to service its vehicles.

“What people talked about before was the lack of after-sales and you have seen one good example of a company that takes care of that, and that is Lanre Shittu,” Osanipin said.

The NADDC Director-General explained that Lanre Shittu Motors had established support facilities in different parts of the country and trained personnel capable of servicing its vehicles.

“They made sure they have warehouses in Port Harcourt and Kano, as well as Lagos, and they train people that will be servicing their vehicles, and that is why you cannot see their trucks having downtime,” he said.

Osanipin urged other vehicle assemblers to emulate the company’s approach to after-sales support.

“We want Nigerians and other assemblers to borrow a leaf from what Lanre Shittu is doing concerning after-sales,” he said.

He stressed that the Nigeria-First Policy should go beyond government procurement of locally assembled vehicles to ensuring that customers receive adequate support throughout the operational life of their vehicles.

“We don’t want them to see sales as transactions. We want them to see it as business, such that they continue to follow up on their customers and take care of their customers,” the NADDC DG said.

Made-in-Nigeria LSM vehicles at airport

Shittu also highlighted the company’s contribution to local manufacturing through the production of buses deployed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

“We are the first company to produce the first made-in-Nigeria vehicle and we are very proud because if you go to the airport, the buses are there now,” he said.

“The buses you see at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport are assembled and manufactured locally by us. You can’t do it better when you have your name at the international airport bringing in foreigners,” he added.

Electric, CNG vehicles

He said the company was also preparing for the emerging clean-mobility market, disclosing that it had commenced electric-vehicle activities with its partners.

“Yes, we have done that already with our partners. Some of our electric vehicles are coming in,” Shittu said.

He noted that the Federal Government’s focus on clean energy, including CNG and electric mobility, presented opportunities for local automotive manufacturers.

Auto industry act

To enhance the progress recorded by the company in local sourcing and manpower development, Shittu called for greater policy certainty and incentives to protect investments and attract additional investors and international partners.

“What we need from the agency and government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is to give us a policy that would guarantee our investments and give us better incentives,” he said.

According to him, a predictable policy environment would make it easier for existing investors to expand while encouraging prospective partners to commit resources to Nigeria.

He disclosed that intending investors were interested in partnering with his company but were waiting for an automotive industry policy backed by law, which he was confident would become a reality under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Shittu said patronage from the commercial sector had improved, while government patronage of locally assembled vehicles was also getting better.

“As an investor, the patronage that is coming from the government is getting better, but it can be even better once we have the policy,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to develop stronger confidence in locally manufactured products, arguing that increased domestic patronage would provide the market needed for manufacturers to expand production.

“From the commercial sector, I must say they have embraced us. They have made us believe that made-in-Nigeria can work in Nigeria. All we need is to believe in ourselves,” Shittu said.

The company is also leveraging vehicle-financing arrangements to expand access to its products.

Shittu disclosed that Lanre Shittu Motors had financing arrangements with Access Bank, Stanbic Bank, Wema Bank and CreditCorp to facilitate vehicle acquisitions for interested customers.

The Lanre Shittu assembly plant has the capacity to assemble 2,500 vehicles annually.

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