The National Automotive Council (NAC) said it has disbursed N7 billion loans to vehicle manufacturers under its auto development scheme with a view to promoting made-in-Nigeria products. Director General of the Council, Mr. Aminu Jalal, disclosed this during an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja, and said out of the 10 companies that applied, five of them have accessed the loans.
Jalal listed the beneficiaries as Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN) which received N3 billion; Innoson Motors of Nnewi, N1billion and Dunlop (Nigeria) Ltd, which accessed N1.2 billion.
The DG, who was represented by the Director of Administration, Hajiya Adama Saleh, said the remaining amount was given to micro-finance banks to be disbursed to other small- and medium-scale industrialists.
He also revealed that the Council has started building some vehicle test centres for mechanics with pilot project in Zaria and Enugu on the land provided by IDC and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) respectively while that of Lagos is yet to take off.
Jalal further informed that some equipment had already been launched and given to mechanics to train others for at least one month at different locations across the country. Similarly, the director general said the Council had launched its portal for the mechanics to get up-to-date data that would assist them in their daily operations and encourage youth in the manufacturing and assemblage of vehicles in the country.
Also speaking, the Director of Industrial and Infrastructural Department, Mr. Waheed Kolapo Odetoro, explained that the NAC wants to embark on the development of mechanic villages through the public private partnership arrangement to enhance mechanics operations.
Odetoro said the NAC was collaborating with a South African Group to achieve its dream of transforming the automobile industry in Nigeria, adding that the Council was also working with the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) to facilitate learning of full auto engineering in schools.
In his remarks, the Technical Adviser to the Director General, Mr. Adam Dalhat, said the Council had entered into collaboration with a Japanese company, Sanyo Khayo Group, to start auto- recycling of non-serviceable and abandoned vehicles in the country.
Dalhat added that steel from the recycled scrap vehicles would be used to produce made-in-Nigeria vehicles and spare parts by locally trained experts.
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