It was a day for another milestone at the Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM) Company Limited, Nnewi in Anambra State on November 29.

Early that morning, the company’s plant was wearing a new look and in the afternoon the place was filled up with guests.

The guests had come from across the country to witness a unique day, the unveiling of what they called “truly made in Nigeria cars.”

The Innoson Group, renowned in plastic and motorcycle manufacturing had ventured into auto manufacturing in 2007, when it started the construction of its auto plant at Nnewi, the industrial hub of Anambra State.

And in 2010, IVM first rolled out buses and other categories of vehicles except cars with President Goodluck Jonathan coming to Nnewi then to open the doors of the new auto manufacturing company to the public.

And on November 29, the Innoson Group added the expected new feather to its cap in vehicle manufacturing by rolling out the first made-in-Nigeria cars which Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga unveiled at the Nnewi plant.

Before the unveiling, the Chairman on the occasion and President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Dr Frank Jacobs, was excited that one of their own, Dr Innocent Chukwuma, Chairman, Innoson Group, could attain that feat.

He noted that the IVM experience was enough evidence of what manufacturers could do in the country if given the necessary encouragement.

On the part of Aganga, he was happy  and excited as he unveiled and drove the IVM cars, saying that it was marvelous to have cars made in Nigeria with 70 per cent local content.

He disclosed that before coming to Nnewi, he had believed that the local content of the IVM cars was only 45 per cent, saying that the President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Engr. Isaac Ademola, attesting that the cars had 70 per cent local content was cheery news for the country.

The NSE president had gone into deep analysis of the IVM cars, saying that their society was impressed by the standard adopted by the Innoson Group in the manufacture of their vehicles.

He disclosed that the society had visited the IVM plant in 2011 and 2012 with recommendation that the company increase its local contents which he testified it had complied with.

He said the society had admitted Chief Chukwuma to be the 19th person in the society’s Fame of Honour as a mark of recognition for his excellence.

He suggested that all the fleet of official vehicles in Abuja used by the government should be made in Nigeria, urging the Federal Government to encourage locally made vehicles by patronizing the manufacturers.

On the list of other products of the IVM includes Swing Arm Garbage Truck, Compactor Trucks, Towing Trucks, various sizes of buses, Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), Pick Up vans, security vehicles, before the coming of IVM Fox, IVM Umu and IVM Uzo cars to join the fleet.

According to the Innoson Group, the IVM Fox is a unique car powered by 1.5 litre Mitsubishi engine for Nigerian environment while the IVM Umu has a bigger and more executive appearance with a 2.0 litre engine, inbuilt turbo charger, operating in tandem with a four-speed automatic transmission or five speed manual gearbox while the IVM Uzo is super powered in five different brands, all with exquisite interior with powerful configuration like in the others.

Unveiling the new cars, Dr Aganga said that the entrance of Chief Innocent Chukwuma, the CEO of the Innoson Group into the Nigerian auto market has drastically reduced the huge sums of money of over $6 billion used annually by the Federal Government on vehicle importation.

To assist vehicle manufacturers in the country in sourcing local raw materials, the minister disclosed that the Federal Government had concluded arrangements to set up three auto components manufacturing firms in Abuja, Lagos and Nnewi, saying that of Nnewi was specifically considered because of IVM’s presence in the industrial town from where other parts of the country, particularly the South-East would be served.

He said the auto component manufacturers in the zones would almost produce all the 2,000 parts used in cars.

He challenged the state government to make land for the setting up of the components plant site available, as well as expedite the release of the necessary document for the land.

Aganga explained that despite pressures mounted by importers of vehicles on the Federal Government to soft pedal on its new auto policy which did not favour them, the government insisted on the new policy to encourage local manufacturers like the IVM, saying that already the government has gone ahead to patronize Innoson vehicles for official use in government circle.

His words: “Importers of vehicles put pressure on us to reverse our auto policy which favours the local manufacturers, but we fought back. Our President, Dr Ebele Goodluck Jonathan is proud of the Innoson Group. Innoson has the highest local content and yet the products are the cheapest despite their high quality. We understand that over 1,700 workers are employed in this factory (IVM) alone. That is highly commendable.

“Indeed, Innoson has Nigeria-can-do spirit and he is pitting Nnewi, Anambra State and Nigeria on the map and we will continue to patronize him. No country manufactures 100 per cent local contents of all the components, but we are unveiling today cars that have up to 70 per cent local contents. It is another milestone in the auto policy and transformation agenda of Mr President.”

Also speaking, the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr Nkem Okeke commended Chief Chukwuma for his ingenuity and immense contribution to job creation in the state.

The governor noted that Nigeria could not develop with huge dependence on importation.

He said that the state government was ready to partner with all well-meaning industrialists in Anambra, appealing to the Federal Government to continue to buy locally made vehicles as one of the major ways to encourage the manufacturers.

Earlier in his address, Chief Chukwuma recalled that it had been a tortuous but focused journey to get to the level he had attained.

He said he ventured into auto manufacturing in March 2007 with a lot of doubts by critics.

“But then we were not discouraged, we were prepared to prove them wrong and to show that something exceptionally good can take place in Nigeria.

“We were focused and determined to succeed. By 2010, three years later, IVM Company Limited became a reality and started producing buses of different types, double cabin pickups, SUVs, both manual and auto transmission,” Chief Chukwuma explained.

He said that the commissioning of the auto plant in 2010 by President Jonathan was not only eventful but signified the level of regard his administration has for his initiative.

Chukwuma also expressed gratitude to former Anambra State governor, Chief Peter Obi, saying that Obi gave him massive support and was the highest patron since IVM started.

Obi in his vote of thanks, said he bought into the Innoson vision even when some of his advisers felt otherwise.

The former governor narrated how he shoved aside advice and went ahead to buy SUVs for traditional rulers in the state and buses for students in the tertiary institutions, saying that those vehicles today have proved critics wrong as the IVM range of vehicles are reliable.

He thanked the Federal Government for using Innoson vehicles, saying that he himself also uses the vehicles

Source: http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=94800&utm_content=buffer134c5&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

I have been seeing so many "FG plans" lately and I'm happy at least they planned right? Waiting for it to mature and get implemented though I didn't read the post because of the length but I judged from the topic

Hope is all we have at this point