By Daniels Ekugo
The stage is set for a parley involving chief executives/ managing directors of major auto firms in Nigeria and heads of government agencies regulating the industry, scheduled to hold in Abuja on May 26.
It is the maiden edition of the Auto CEOs Forum being put together by Concerned Auto Editors in conjunction with the National Automotive Design and Development Council.
The forum, according to the organisers, will X-ray major issues adversely affecting the operations and slowing down the development of the auto industry in the country and proffer workable solutions expected to be jointly executed by these critical stakeholders.
Specifically, the forum will address issues such as the auto policy, local assembly plants and low patronage of locally assembled vehicles, import levies/duties; exchange rate policy as it affects auto business; and vehicle clearing-related problems.
The organisers listed government agencies participating at the forum, apart from the NADDC, as the Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Inland Revenue Service, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Central Bank of Nigeria, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Ministry of Finance, terminal operators, and Association of Clearing Agents.
Auto companies whose CEOs are featuring in the maiden edition of the event are Toyota Nigeria Limited, Weststar Associates, Innoson Motor, Pan Nigeria, Lanre Shittu Motors, CFAO, Kia Nigeria, Nord Automobiles, TSS Automobile, Dangote Peugeot Automobile/Sinotruck, Coscharis Motors, CIG Motors, Tata Motors, Jet Motor Company (Jet Systems) and Omaha Motors.
The DG NADDC, Jelani Aliyu, says the agency is excited about the Auto CEOs Forum initiative and expressed hope that the parley would provide the needed opportunity to resolve those issues that had set the industry back and enable the stakeholders to forge a new relationship for speedy growth of the auto sector in Nigeria.