Democracy Day: Jonathan receives Made-in-Nigeria vehicles

Abdullahi M. Gulloma

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday received three made in Nigeria Nissan Patrol SUV, Nissan Almera (Sunny) saloon car and a Nissan NP 300 pick-up as part of activities to commemorate the nation’s Democracy Day.
The vehicles were presented to the president at the International Conference Centre by the chairman of Stallion Group, Mr. Sunil Vaswani.
Vaswani said the vehicles meet global standards of product and technology and were produced in Nigeria pursuant to the federal government’s new automotive policy.

He said the plant was established following the signing of an agreement between Nissan Motor Company and West African conglomerate of the Stallion Group on October 9, 2013.
He said: “We are grateful for implementing this initiative which is part of the Federal Government’s seven point agenda to attract Foreign Direct Investments and emancipate the dormant sectors of the economy.

“The evolution of automotive manufacturing sector in Nigeria would not only encourage more FDIs but stimulate industrial clusters such as original equipment manufacturers that include steel plants, glass manufacturers, aftermarket shops and transportation service providers leading to job creation and contributing significantly to the GDP. The current population of Nigeria can convincingly support more than half a million vehicles annually which is more than sufficient to sustain an emerging automotive industry.”
He said the Stallion’s automobile facility in Lagos was committed to producing 45,000 vehicles annually.