AUTO POLICY:

Director-General of the National Automobile Council (NAC) Mr. Aminu Jalal, has said that not less than 12 automobile manufacturing firms would set up vehicle assembly plants in Nigeria by the end of the year.
 
Mr. Aminu Jalal, who made this known last weekend, said the firms have already indicated their interest in setting up the assembly plants.
 
Jalal noted that old assembly plants such as; Leyland and Leventis Motors were being revived to give a new lease of life to the nation’s auto industry.
 

Director-General of the National Automobile Council (NAC) Mr. Aminu Jalal, has said that not less than 12 automobile manufacturing firms would set up vehicle assembly plants in Nigeria by the end of the year.
 
Mr. Aminu Jalal, who made this known last weekend, said the firms have already indicated their interest in setting up the assembly plants.
 
Jalal noted that old assembly plants such as; Leyland and Leventis Motors were being revived to give a new lease of life to the nation’s auto industry.
 
He said, “By the end of the year, all the 12 auto manufacturing companies are expected to have established their vehicle assembly plants in the country.”
 
The DG said that the 12 firms had concluded all the preliminary works on the planned assembly plants and were expected to begin the roll-out any moment from now.
 
According to him, some of the vehicles that would be assembled are Kia, Renault, Foton, Higer automobiles and Joylong, among others.
 
He said Dana Motors facilitated the coming of the Kia and Renault brands; while Coscharis Motors sealed an assembly plant agreement with a Chinese firm, JiangSu Joylong Automobile for to produce over 14,000 Joylong and other Chinese vehicles every year.
 
Also, Globe Motors Holdings Nigeria Ltd would be partnering with a Chinese firm to establish $120m assembly plant that will produce Higer automobiles.
 
Jalal noted that Toyota was currently doing feasibility studies and would hopefully declare its intention to join the train before the end of the year.
 
He said activities at the Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company in Nnewi and Volkswagen Nigeria in Lagos, for instance, were being boosted in readiness for the expected boom in locally assembled vehicles market.
 
The NAC boss said he was delighted with the response of the global auto manufacturers and vehicle dealers to the government’s new auto policy.
 
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Customs Service said it has commenced a new vehicle transit regime for automobiles imported from Benin Republic across Seme Border.
 
Mr. Ernest Olottah, Customs Public Relations Officer for the Seme Border Command said in a statement on Thursday that the exercise would be extended to other neighbouring countries such as Cameroun, Chad and Niger Republic in due course.
 
The statement said, “The new policy, which is a fallout of the March 26, 2014 meeting of the comptrollers-general of Customs of the five proximate countries in Abuja, and in line with the Transit Code, will see all Nigeria-bound vehicles imported from the affected countries being handed over to Nigerian Customs by the country’s customs administration after due clearance.”