New Telegraph

FG rejigs new auto plan, incorporates electric vehicles

•To be ready before December, says Jelani

 

The Nigerian Government has assured that its National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP) will be passed into law before the end of December 2021, adding that it has rejiged the new national auto plan and incorporated the Electric Vehicles (EV) revolution which has made inroad to the Nigerian auto industry.

 

Addressing journalists virtually during a recent forum in Lagos, organized by the Nigeria Automotive Journalists Association (NAJA), Director General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Jelani Aliyu also said that when the NAIDP Bill is passed into law, it will position the Nigerian auto industry for growth and foreign direct investment (FDI).

 

Jelani reiterated that electric vehicles remain the future of automobile industry globally with many countries setting target for migration into electric vehicles.

 

The DG who spoke at the workshop on the theme: “Migration to Electric Vehicles and Gas-powered Vehicles; Opportunities & Challenges for Nigeria,” said the EV is being incorporated into the NAIDP which he assured would be passed before the end of the year.

 

According to him, a lot of developments like the EVs as well as gas-powered vehicles are springing up as the government fine-tunes the auto policy bill. On the charging stations for electric vehicle, the Mr. Jelani encouraged Business men and women to take advantage of the opportunity and invest in the new business opportunity.

 

The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, in his submission said migration into electric vehicles would reduce the dangerous emissions from fossil fuel vehicles mostly second hand flooding the Nigerian market.

 

Oyeyemi represented by the Lagos Sector Commander, Olusegun Ogungbemide disclosed that 80 per cent of vehicles are second hand.

 

“Some of them are as old as 30 years and when they come in, we embrace them as new vehicles, we subject them to the same activities that the new vehicles are being subjected to, not minding the costs,” he said.

 

He said: “This migration is so important to Nigeria especially in the area of health. Many people are in the hospital in Lagos today, which hitherto wouldn’t have been if our atmosphere has been so sanitized.

 

“The closest to it that we had in Lagos was during the lockdown when we had fewer vehicles on Nigerian roads. The commissioner for health testified to it when I visited him. During the lockdown, 70 to 80 per cent of vehicles with all these emissions were erased from the system with the exception of articulated vehicles.”

 

Oyeyemi stated that the introduction of electric vehicles into the country will open a new vista of opportunities among which are; gradual reduction in greenhouse gas emission on the environment, national efforts on the Paris  Accord on Climate Change, employment opportunities in a new field, development of local content capacity on electric vehicles and promotion of the nation’s electric power infrastructures through generation and distribution.

 

Others are: Diversification of unrefined crude oil to other useful avenues such as agriculture, medicine, cosmetics, construction, clothing, household items etc.

 

Increase in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from sales and operations of charge stations; Elimination of wastes from gas flaring and conversion of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), for powering gas powered and hybrid automobile engines.

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