By Moses Akaigwe
Lanre Shittu Motors, one of the leading commercial vehicles assembly and marketing companies in Nigeria, is set to defy the boundaries by driving into other markets.
The management of the company announced last week that it would in a couple of months commence exportation of a new brand of vehicles assembled in Nigeria to other countries in Africa.
The vehicles would carry the LSM brand name to be marketed locally in other countries as some of the best products from Nigeria.
Managing Director/CEO of the company, Mr. Taiwo Shittu, disclosed this in an interview with a section of the motoring press in Lagos recently.
“We have brand new vehicles coming in very soon. They would be in our brand name, LSM,” he said.
He also revealed that the company would before the end of the year, unveil electric and CNG vehicles assembled at Lanre Shittu Motors plant in Ogun state.
According to him, the LSM vehicles rollout will commence with the pick-up and commercial vehicles such as small buses {popularly called ‘Korope’}, two-ton trucks, three ton-trucks, mass transit buses and electric buses.
“Gradually, we would be going into the cars and heavy duty trucks”, he stated.
The Managing Director also noted that the project would not only benefit the investors, but create job opportunities for the masses.
He stated further, “It will not only add value to Lanre Shittu Motors but to the country and the “value-added” for the country is that, we will be able to export these vehicles outside Nigeria.
“And hopefully, we will get more foreign investors coming to Nigeria. Who says the GM and other automakers cannot invest in LSM?”
Shittu noted that the company would start exportation to West African countries before moving to other regions and outside Africa.
He stated, “We need indigenous companies to start doing things well and exporting their products not just importing. Importing is costing the country a lot of money.
“We will be creating more jobs for the people with this project. We will have a lot of businesses spring up from this – battery, tyre, glass and the fabric/leather seat making companies for the vehicles in Nigeria.”
Some investors, it was learnt, were already talking to the company on the project as they wait for the relevant policy and legislation from the government.
He expressed optimism that the Bola Tinubu administration would favour investors and investment in the country.
“He re-structured Lagos as the state governor many years ago. He is a master strategist,” he stated.
He said the company planned to make it a huge success having nurtured many foreign auto brands from ground zero to the top in Nigeria.
“We made JAC and Mack brands popular in Nigeria”, he said.
There is no reason why we cannot build our own brand. A good thing is coming from Nigeria and Nigerians should be prepared for it”, he said.
It would be recalled that following the demise of the Chairman/founder of LSM, Alhaji Lanre Shittu, earlier this year, the company embarked on a re-strategy policy in which the children who have been part of the business were tasked to reposition different aspects of the frontline auto firm.