The Federal Executive Council has procured 30 units of Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing (IVM) estimated at N311 million to assist civil servants in Abuja.
At present, IVM is the only indigenous automobile plant that is functional and the federal government is aggressive in ensuring that the local content act is sustained for a longer period.
The Federal Executive Council has procured 30 units of Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing (IVM) estimated at N311 million to assist civil servants in Abuja.
At present, IVM is the only indigenous automobile plant that is functional and the federal government is aggressive in ensuring that the local content act is sustained for a longer period.
Though, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga had hinted recently of government’s plan to create three automobile training centres and clusters at Lagos, Nnewi and Kano.
The training centres, according to Aganga, would be established in partnership with Brazil to train Nigerians in automobile maintenance and spare parts production, while the clusters would host new vehicle assembly plants.
However, the government has stepped up moves in repositioning the nation’s transportation system, in line with its transformation agenda.
The president who was represented by the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Bukar Aji, disclosed the need for Nigerian citizenry to buy vehicles that is locally manufactured.
Perhaps as awareness campaign for indigenous participation will go a long way in areas of locally made vehicles, which have been the yearnings of operators in the automobile sector for years.
The Head of Service told State House correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa in Abuja that the purchase of the buses was approved to ameliorate the suffering of civil servants following the ban on commercial buses.
He said: “After the adoption of the previous conclusion, the President tabled a memorandum to seek council’s ratification of his anticipatory approval for the procurement of 30 units of 33-seater diesel air conditioned Innoson bus IVM6800, by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.
“The procurement of the buses will serve as a welfare package for civil servants and as a palliative for transportation difficulties being experienced by the civil servants living in satellite towns within the FCT as well as to increase productivity and raise workers’ morale for service delivery.
“In view of the priority placed on service delivery at institutional and individual levels in the public service by the administration and the benefits of the scheme on the lives of the beneficiaries, council ratified the President’s anticipatory approval for the procurement of 30 units of 33-seater diesel air conditioned Innoson Bus IVM 6800, in favour of Messrs Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Ltd in the sum of N311, 850,000.00, inclusive of VAT, with delivery period of 10 months. Each bus costs N9.9 million.”
The Minister of Information and Supervising Minister of Defence Labaran Maku said the choice of Innoson bus is in compliance with the directive of the FEC meeting of January 20, 2010 so that locally- assembled vehicles would be patronised instead of foreign vehicles.
Discussion about this post