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Automotive Industry, Private Sector Invests Over N500bn -DG NADDC

The Director-General, National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Jelani Aliyu Dogondaji, has commended the private sector for investing over N500billion in the Nigeria automotive manufacturing industry.
“With our support and encouragement, we have enabled the private sector to invest over N500billion to set up vehicles assembly plants and factories across the country”, the NADDC boss told journalists in Sokoto, yesterday.
The DG made the revelation while speaking to journalists on efforts made by the NADDC to boost the local production of vehicles in Nigeria.
According to him, companies such as Dangote, Sinotrucks, Innoson, Elizade, Lanre Shittu, Honda West Africa, Mikano and Nord, all are currently producing vehicles in the country.
“We also have companies and assembly plants in Lagos, Nnewi, Kaduna and Kano while some are beginning to come up in Bauchi, Kano and Ogun states.
“These companies have a combined capacity of producing up to 400,000 vehicles per year”, the DG stated.
“We are, however, doing a lot to unlock that potential and put a stop to the importation of new and fairly used vehicles into Nigeria.
“As am speaking, there are individuals and companies that believe in the current and future economy of Nigeria, enough to invest this huge amount of money,” he explained.
He said the NADDC is in consultation with other multinational companies such as Toyota, Volkswagen and Nissan to come and directly set up their production plants in Nigeria.
“The council is working to effectively implement an automotive policy agenda, with a view to bringing these companies back to Nigeria.
“Because, when these companies come in, they will invest hundreds of millions of dollars”.
“They want to have a guarantee that regardless of whichever government is in power their investments will be protected,” DG said.
According to the director-general, the council has also engaged an international firm, KPMG, to review the automotive policy.
This, he averred, is to make it now in tune with the extant global movement in producing vehicles.
He recalled how in the ’70s and 80s firms like Peugeot, Volkswagen, Anamco and Leyland were producing over 140,000 vehicles per year and suddenly stopped.
Aliyu said, “All that stopped overnight because the prices of crude oil that the country was so dependent on as a resource dropped from $27 per barrel to below $10.
“So, overnight, Nigeria went into recession, overnight, Nigerians became poor, those people who could buy new 504s, new 505s and Beetles could no longer do that.
“So, these companies could no longer sell their products, they are forced to leave because of market forces.
“NADDC is working tirelessly to bring back that lost glory and discourage heavy reliance on imported used cars by Nigerians.
“We are diligently implementing the National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP), to reverse the ugly trend.”
He insisted that vehicles produced in Nigeria had the same standard qualities as those imported, “if not even better than them”.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.