Chartered Transporter Identifies Benefits of Auto Policy

A chartered transporter,
Mr. Basil Opara has described the Nigeria Automobile sector as ripe to generate over 200,000 jobs.
Making this known to The Tide in Port Harcourt,  Opara said that the auto  industry was very huge and that a car had over 2,000  components and each of these components is from an industry.
Opara who is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Transport and Logistics (CITL) said the areas of job opportunities included, mechanics, insurance, financing and logistics.
According to him, the new automotive policy of the Federal Government was  investor-friendly, and that already, 23 car assembly plants had shown interest to invest in the country.
Some of the companies  include Piaggio, Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company and National Trucks Manufacturers  in Kano State.
He said that the Federal Government in its bid to ensure that the auto industry was developed, had given incentives to the tyre manufacturing firms to encourage  them to invest in the economy.
The incentives he said included free duty on their equipment  and incentive  to import 20 per cent of tyre into the country, adding that manufacturers of tyre like Michelin and Dunlop had shown  interest to return to the country.
Opara posited that substantial  sums would be saved if the nation’s  automotive industry was fully functional, but expressed skepticism on the part of potential investors who were  doubtful of government’s commitment to the implementation of the policy.

Collins Walter