By Chukwudi Enekwechi

As President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s diversification programme gathers steam, it is important to put into focus the country’s economic sectors that can play major roles in its actualisation. In this connection, we have to situate our search within the industrial sector and one indigenous company that readily comes to mind is Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing Company Limited.

It is important to state the fact that Innoson ventured into an area many people considered daunting, tough and insurmountable, bearing in mind the several herculean challenges that hitherto militated against Nigeria’s industrial growth.

By opening a vehicle manufacturing plant in Nigeria, the company demonstrated not only strong will, but unlimited faith and commitment to the industrial development of the country. Since then, it has continued to partner with various tiers of government to grow Nigeria’s economy, create job opportunities for our youths, and impart technological skills to the youths of   the Niger Delta through the Kiara Academy, an affiliate of the Innoson Group.

Expectedly, all these accomplishments which have positioned the company as Nigeria’s pioneer automobile maker have come with other unforeseeable challenges, such as the running battle between it and Guaranty Trust Bank. Gladly, the company has continued to use the instrumentality of the law to win most of its cases and the expectation is that history will vindicate the just.

There is need to pinpoint the unassailable fact that despite daunting challenges, Innoson has kept faith with the Nigerian project by investing billions of dollars in setting up factories in different parts of Nigeria. Even with its automobile products, the initial doubts as to the durability of the made-in-Nigeria vehicles have been erased, as the vehicles are not only strong and durable but are easy to manage and maintain.

It is, therefore, expected that both the federal and state governments as well as the private sector will patronise these cars with a view to stimulating Nigeria’s economy through job creation and conservation of scarce foreign exchange.

There is no doubt that, based on the company’s antecedent as a catalyst for Nigeria’s industrial take-off, it will continue to play a significant role in bringing President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s diversification programme into reality.

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This lofty dream can only be realised when all Nigerians proudly support Innoson as Nigeria’s automobile brand, and support the company in its efforts to lift Nigeria from an import-dependent economy to a manufacturing hub in African.

It is also gratifying that the vehicle manufacturer has continued to receive patronage from neighbouring West African countries and, with its projected plan to expand its operations, most African cities will soon have Innoson vehicles dotting their landscape.

Nigerians should, therefore, join hands with the company and the federal/state governments to promote the Innoson brand instead of scheming to undermine the obvious patriotic efforts of Innoson Group’s Chairman, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, to place Nigeria on the world map as an automobile manufacturing country.

In an area that is generally considered to be the exclusive preserve of the white man (Europeans, Americans and lately Asians) Innoson has broken the jinx and proved to the consternation of many that, indeed, the black man possesses the same capacity to achieve spectacular feats like Ford and other notable inventors of old.

The question to ask is: Why are there relentless efforts to pull down the company by smearing the image of the Chairman, despite his avowed commitment to the industrial development of Nigeria?

It seems there is a conspiracy to deliberately dent his image in order to pave the way for the influx of foreign products, which will jeopardize federal government’s efforts to make   Nigeria an export-dependent and vibrant economy.

The nefarious activities of such negative forces that for years have been a clog in the industrial development of the country must not be allowed to continue. All hands must be on deck to ensure that Innoson thrives because, in the final analysis, Nigerians are the ultimate beneficiaries of its patriotic and innovative efforts.

Enekwechi, (JP), writes from Abuja via [email protected]